


A Song of Ice, Fire, and Young Heroes

by Vergil1989



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Series Spoilers, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-16 00:06:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 78,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vergil1989/pseuds/Vergil1989
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Klarion the Witch Boy ripped open a dimensional gateway and sent the Team to Westeros, he had no idea the amount trouble he would stir up.  Stranded with no way home and scattered across the Seven Kingdoms, they must adjust to their new lives, but with Winter coming, that might be easier said than done.</p>
<p>Post Season 2 of YJ, and at the start of Season 1 of GoT, so unfortunately spoilers are coming for at least one season if not both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. More Than Winter is Coming.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another of my crazy ideas lol. Before anyone asks, yes I plan to continue my other tale, I just need to get inspired for it again is all. In the meantime, I thought I'd try something a little less complicated lol. In all seriousness, I've noticed a disturbing lack of Young Justice crossovers not just here, but also on Fanfiction.Net in regards to GoT, and personally I think it'd be a pretty good mixture myself. ;D I might not be the best man for the job, but I'll still give it a go.
> 
> I have a friend from Fanfiction.Net that helped me get this story started and I wouldn't have been able to keep the characters even remotely similar if not for him. Not only that, but while he doesn't have an account on AO3 yet, there's no way I wouldn't mention Archer83 since I'm not a total jerk lol. Joking aside, thanks Archer for all the help you gave along the way for this to become reality. Anyway, wish us luck!

**Winterfell**

**Artemis Lian Crock  
**

It was another clear and crisp morning in the Northlands, and while it was colder than she’d have preferred, the fur coat, cloak, boots, gloves, trousers and heavy undershirt she wore was more than enough to keep her warm as she prepared for her morning walk.  It hadn’t taken her long to adjust to the heavier clothes the Northerners wore, and despite how strange this world was compared to her own, Artemis Lian Crock couldn’t help but look to the clear skies above with a measure of contentment she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

 A stray breeze tugged at her long blonde hair that was still in its customary ponytail, but she paid it no mind as she hopped off of the walkway to the guard barracks and landed lightly on the dirt path below.  She had yet to take the stairs going down in the mornings, and the few people that were up right before the sun began to shine over the horizon still jumped a little when they saw the archer’s acrobatic ability in play.   _Almost two years and you’d think they’d get used to seeing that._

On the other hand, two years in Winterfell and Artemis could still find enjoyment in the simple things that surrounded her.  City life had been incredibly different from the slower and far more peaceful way of life that dominated this land.  People actually paid attention to other people out here in the North and weren’t nose deep in their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.  She missed her mother, the friends she had made on the team, and she especially missed Wally, but the Starks had filled in some of the void since they had taken her in.

She had never been a religious woman, especially after losing Wally, but something about walking through the Godwoods near the main castle grounds of Winterfell made Artemis stop and pause.  The faces in the trees themselves never ceased to amaze her, regardless if someone had taken the time to carve them out of the trees or if they were a naturally occurring phenomenon.  She had never asked anyway, preferring the mystery than the simple truth of how the faces were made.  Whatever the case, they were an interesting sight to her as she ran a fur lined gloved hand over the pale white wood, aware of the company she had as she turned her head and smiled at the Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark.  "I didn't expect to see you out here Lord Stark."

It was their normal routine.  Every morning before sunrise, just as they had today, Artemis would wander out to the Godswood as she had since getting settled in at Winterfell and walked through the small forest located not far from the castle walls.  Eventually, the entire Stark family knew of her habit and despite her insistence that she didn't want company, Eddard, Robb, Catelyn, Jon, Arya, or on occasion Brandon or the Seven forbid, Sansa, would join her.  Today it was Eddard, and despite his usually stern demeanor, she knew of the honorable and steadfast man underneath and respected him a great deal.  He was slightly amused by her greeting today, which meant that he most likely had warmed Catelyn's side of the bed the night before.  It made Artemis wistful for her lost love, but she pushed those feelings aside.  "I had hoped to talk to you Artemis."

She had a feeling she knew what he wanted to talk about.  "Hey, talk to Greyjoy, he's the one that couldn't keep his hands away.  Be glad I only broke his nose."  Eddard sighed and shook his head at the passionate if combative blonde archer before him.  The smile never faltered though, having seen the tail end of that particular exchange.  It wasn't a new story with her, and any man that tried to do anything foolish as Theon Greyjoy had wound up in the dirt with his nose gushing blood.  There had been at least five other occasions of such, and all because Artemis Lian Crock was a woman, yet she was able to fight better than most of the guards put together.

There were female knights and warriors, but they were far from Winterfell and the main kingdoms around King's Landing, and thus, unheard of in most of Westeros.  It was a constant fight for approval among her male peers, but Artemis had managed not to kill anyone under the Stark roof, so far.  "Iron blood he has and iron blooded he'll remain I fear.  Still, I think he finally got the point that you're off limits.  That was not what I wanted to talk about however.  When we first met, and we had to earn the other's trust, do you remember?"  Artemis remembered all too well.  It was the night back in her home dimension that her life, and the rest of the team's lives had been turned upside down by one overzealous Lord of Chaos.

It had been two years since Klarion the Witch Boy had attacked their new hideout.  He had stolen them, quite literally, out of their beds and put them here, in Westeros.  In that time, Artemis had not heard anything, not even a whisper, of her old friends' existence in this world, but news traveled slower than a snail's pace.  Anything was possible as far as she was concerned though.  She might have no idea where she was, but at least there was a chance she might see her old friends again one day.  "Yeah I remember Lord Stark, why do you ask?"  Artemis finally replied, leaning against the tree she had been running her hand over only a few moments ago.  Her long bow and quiver were at her feet, leaning against the far older mighty pale white tree.

"Because I have a feeling I'm going to need people I trust at my side.  You protected my family for almost two years, and you're a better marksmen than any I've ever seen.  There was a rider from one of the neighboring Lords, a deserter is heading this way."  She didn't need to hear more than that as Artemis slung her bow and quiver onto her back.  She knew the way the world worked in this dimension.  She also knew how Ned always acted with honor and gave respect only when it was due.  The fact he was asking her to join him on the ride out to the field showed just how much he respected and trusted her.

"When do we leave?"  While she didn’t agree with the law of the land, more specifically the King’s law, she couldn’t change it.  Besides, she had no right to protest anyway because of the simple fact the Starks had taken her in with almost no hesitation on their part.  Even her old friends had not been so quick to trust her, except perhaps Dick.  Catelyn Stark had surprised her especially, at first, but after getting to know the matron, Artemis understood why she had been so quick to trust the stranger.  That was for later consideration though.

"We have a few hours yet Artemis.  I need to get my family together and have horses prepared for the ride, but as soon as the man is captured, we will ride out and do what must be done."  Ned put a hand on her shoulder when he saw the troubled look in the young archer’s pale gray eyes.  “I know you don’t agree with his punishment Artemis; hold onto your compassion as long as you can.  It’s what truly makes you far stronger and braver than most men I have fought beside.”

It was moments like this that she was grateful beyond words to have met Eddard Stark and his family as she offered a strong smile and a nod of her head before pulling her fur cloak closer around her body.  “It’s your law to execute deserters, and as long as you carry out the sentence to your own laws, it takes some of the sting out of the whole thing.  I might not agree with it, but you’ve proven you’re a man of your word more times than I can count Lord Stark.  It’s probably why I like you so much.”  It was also no secret, although she had to color some of her past to fit with this world’s lack of technology, that her home life had been pretty bad.  When your older sister was an assassin, your father was a master thief and career criminal, and your mother was a retired criminal, it was best to stick with the simple facts.

It was therefore no secret that Artemis had taken an instant liking to Eddard Stark and saw him as the father she wished she could have had growing up.  To his credit, Stark had almost instantly perceived this and had made a habit of happening by to speak with her when she seemed distant or overly aggressive.  It had taken most of the two years she had known them for her to admit anything beyond small snippets about her old life, but when she had, a lot of old questions finally had answers to them.

“Have I ever told you why I enjoy your company Artemis?”  She didn’t even get to venture a guess as the man continued without pause.  “You aren’t afraid of anything, or anyone, even me.  You tell me your true feelings, not whatever you think I wish to hear.  It’s refreshing to talk with a person, besides my family, that doesn’t feel the need to kiss my arse at every opportunity.”

“It’s a nice arse, or so I’d wager your wife thinks so.”  Artemis smirked as she got a rare laugh out of the normally stern but fair ruler beside her as they made their way back to the main castle grounds.  “I’ve always been a straightforward type of person, that’s one of the few good things I got from my family.”

Before they reached the practice fields, Ned put a hand on Artemis’s shoulder again and stopped her.  “You’re not your family Artemis Lian Crock.  And I would have been a fool to judge you by their actions, instead of your own.”

“Does that silver tongue work on everyone or just our own personal Crock O Shit?”  Judging by the angry look Theon cast the blonde, he was still indignant over his freshly broken nose.  “Since you spend so much time with this arrogant little bitch, maybe it’s being used for more than talking.  Or so the rumors would have us believe.”

Her bow was out and knocked before Theon could draw another breath, as an arrow flew over his shoulder and found the practice target’s center.  Robb and Brandon Stark were impressed, needless to say, while Theon Greyjoy was pale as a ghost from the purposeful miss of his person.  Eddard was still mainly focused on the man’s insult however.  “Good form Artemis.  The next time that mouth of yours opens Theon, I might be tempted to let her put one of her arrows in it.”  Artemis’s arrow was quickly joined by another, a display of talent that impressed even the highly gifted blonde archer.

“Maybe she won't have to.”  Arya Stark glared at Theon before taking a small bow, much to most of the gathered people’s amusement.  It looked like the young girl had been paying attention to Artemis’s lessons after all.  It was no secret that the youngest daughter of the Stark family was always underfoot of everyone, sticking her nose where it didn’t belong at times.  Artemis had merely given into her incessant pleading and, with the head of the Stark household’s permission, had been teaching Arya and Brandon the art of the bow.  Even the elder Stark boys had taken an interest after a while, and despite Theon’s arrogance and belief women didn’t belong on the battlefield, he at least took notes whenever Artemis was teaching.

“Thanks Arya Underfoot.”  Arya blushed at Artemis’s pet name for her and the older archer just smiled at her young pupil.  “Make sure to lift your strong arm higher next time Lady Stark.”  Artemis hadn’t needed to actually see Arya’s form and posture to know what she needed to do to improve her next shot.

“For the hundredth time, call me Arya!”  Robb had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at the indignant look on his sister’s face.  Catelyn Stark, joined by her husband on the walkway that was part of the inner wall, only smiled and shook her head at the antics of the blonde archer and her youngest daughter.

“That girl is tempting fate as always I see.”  Ned only chuckled and shrugged at his wife’s comment since it was true.  “And you do nothing to stop them, as always.”  There was only amusement on the woman’s face, especially after she felt her husband’s arm fall across her shoulders.

“Whatever you say....Lady Stark.”  Artemis only added to the fire by giving the irritated girl a small bow of respect of her own.  She merely stepped to the side when Arya charged her, a giant smile on her face, and tripped the young Stark girl as she passed.  Holding her hand out to the now dirt smeared girl, Artemis helped Arya to her feet even as she tried to wave her away.  “Mind your feet there Arya Underfoot, maybe you should pay more attention to Bran?”

“Ah Arty, mother never likes me climbing around, you know that.”  The young Stark belatedly realized what he had just said in front of his mother.  “Not that I ever climb on things.”  Artemis had purposely lead the young Stark into that verbal trap, and now he was in over his head and he knew it.

It only took a moment for Catelyn to join them on the field and bend down so she was eye to eye with her young son.  “Oh I’m afraid your confession has already sealed your fate Bran.”  Catelyn said with a wry smirk as she ruffed the guilty looking boy’s hair.  “Don’t do it again, or Artemis will be shooting apples off your head to entertain us.”

“Really?!  Can she?  That would be amazing!”  The Stark matriarch just rolled her eyes at her overjoyed son and shook her head in amused irritation.  It took every ounce of willpower the archer had not to laugh at the exuberant look on Bran’s face as Artemis met Catelyn’s gaze.

A hint of a smile graced the archer’s lips.  “Don’t worry, I hate to waste good fruit Lady Stark.  Especially apples.”  There was a personal reason for that, but it barely flickered across Artemis’s mind as she turned her gaze just in time to catch sight of the literal bastard of the family.

“It’s about the only thing that grows out here in the North.”  Jon Snow said, a small smirk on his face as he passed by to talk with the castle’s blacksmith.

“I’ve noticed....I’d kill for a decent kiwi.”  Artemis suddenly tensed up at the curious looks the other family members gave her.  “It’s a fruit from home.”  She rubbed the back of her head in mild embarrassment, a red tint coloring her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold.

Robb Stark was the first to pick up on her mild discomfort, and quickly decided to cheer her up.  “No need to be bashful Artemis, you're much better at _bashing_.  Maybe today is the day I finally best you in a match?”

“If she doesn’t cheat.”  Theon muttered under his breath, but luckily Artemis didn’t hear him as she pulled the castle forged sword from the sheath on her back and smirked at the eldest of the Stark boys.

As the steel glinted in the sunlight, her wolfish smile sent a pleasant tingle down Robb’s spine.  “Well, shall we find out if you’re man enough Robb?  Or you could just concede now and save me the time of putting you in the dirt.”

“Do you always talk this much before you lose?”  Robb smirked as he raised his own sword.  For the purpose of their practice fight, they knew only to use the flat of their swords so as not to dull the razor sharp edge of the blades themselves.  “Well, come on then, are you going to attack or just stand there looking stunning as usual?”

Everyone wisely took several steps back to give the two the room they’d need, as Artemis hung her cloak on the fence by the archery field.  Her smirk only grew wider as she took her stance before charging forward.  Training with heroes of all sorts back home had honed her body to the peak of physical condition.  She had never trained in heavy armor like Robb Stark however, so what he lacked in speed he made up for in stamina and endurance.  As Artemis charged towards the confident swordsman, he prepared himself for any of the various tricks she always employed.

Today she had a new one planned however.  Just as he was about to meet her head on, she slid on her right side, less than an inch away from the edge of his sword, making Robb hesitate just long enough to allow her to get her sword’s point lined up with his groin.  At first, he was amused and simply thought she had tripped, then he looked down at her true target.  There was no way he could get out of the cleverly implemented maneuver without losing his ‘sword’.  Sighing, the elder Stark sibling saluted her with his blade, ending the match.  “I yield Artemis.”

“A little lesson for you to remember Robb, never trust me to fight fairly.”  She could fight with honor if she wanted, but in her experience, honorable men tended to become dead men.  That was the only fear she had for Eddard Stark, that his honor would stop him from making a decision that could very well save his life later.  “Thanks for the match, you lasted a few seconds longer this time.”  Artemis quickly got to her feet and gave the already mortified man a playful tap on the ass with her sword as she walked by.

Their fun and merriment came to an end however when the messenger that Eddard knew would come when rumor reached him of the deserter finally appeared.  “My Lord and Lady!  They have captured the deserter, a man of the Night’s Watch as we thought.”

“Robb, Theon, Jon, Bran.  Get ready to leave.”  He didn’t have to look at Artemis or Catelyn to know neither approved of his order to take Bran with them to see a public execution, but Artemis at least agreed with him on some level.  Brandon wouldn’t be a child forever, and winter was coming.

**King’s Landing**

**Zatanna Zatara, and Megan Morse.**

Today was a bad day to be in King’s Landing.  Lord Hand Jon Arryn, husband to Lysa Arryn, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East, and the Lord of the Eyrie was dead.

_“How can you stand listening to Tyrion’s thoughts all day I’ll never know M’gann.”_  They were on the other side of the main hall where the latest King’s Hand was laid out on a stone slab, unaware of Cersei and Jamie’s presence not thirty paces away.  It didn't come as a surprise to either of them that the King’s Hand had been poisoned, but because of their very tenuous situation they weren’t in a position to deal out justice to his killer.  They were in a city full of vipers; everyone was out to improve their own standing, and alliances had a tendency to shift and change at the drop of a hat.  Hat tricks might have been Zatanna’s specialty back home, but here, it took every shred of her training to stay ahead of the dozens of schemes that threatened their new lives in this new world.

If not for their unusual relationship with Tyrion Lannister, the Imp as he was called behind his back, they might not have done nearly so well as they had.  When Klarion’s spell had been cast, they had wound up falling on his balcony to his private quarters in the capital of Westeros.  And the rest was history, as they say.

_“I would rather listen to the lewd thoughts that pass through his mind then the web of lies and deceit that coats this city like dust, Zatanna.  I thought Gotham was corrupt, but King’s Landing?  We can’t prove that the Hand was poisoned, let alone who ordered it done, for fear of having our heads removed and put on spikes over the gates.”_  Megan sighed as she looked down at Jon Arryn’s corpse as the priestesses made one final pass over his body with their incense bowls and banners before departing the hall.  All the proof they needed of how far the city was from being saved from its own corruption was laid out on display.

Then there was the more physical proof that their stay in the corrupt city had changed both women quite a bit.  Playing the part of Tyrion’s ‘guards’, and supposed whores, had required a drastic wardrobe change for Zatanna at least.  M’gann and her bio clothes allowed her to change her entire outer appearance with a thought, but she still kept a chest full of clothes to keep up appearances.

Matching Zatanna’s height and weight was depressingly easy for the alien shapeshifter, but she kept her human appearance from her time on Earth.  The freckles had disappeared, but her amber eyes, short red hair, and light skin had remained.  Her general appearance had matured slightly as well, to appear as a twenty year old human girl in the prime of her youth.

Zatanna’s already alluring form had only grown more so in the two years of being in Westeros.  Deciding to allow her raven black hair to grow to the small of her back, the magician’s curvaceous and slender frame fit the profile of one of Tyrion’s bedmates far better than Megan’s.  Her bright cyan eyes only finished the overall pleasing appearance that Zatanna pulled off with very little trouble or effort.  Of course, the low cut dresses made of some of the finest silks this side of the Narrow Sea also helped to complete the image they had crafted for their ‘roles’ in the Game.

Speaking of the littlest Lord, both women turned their heads to the small man that approached them when they ‘felt’ his presence moments later.   _“I find that insulting, not all of my thoughts are lewd in nature.  Most I’ll grant you, but not quite all.  And you’re absolutely right my dear.  Your heads are far prettier where they currently reside.”_   He wouldn’t admit it, even on his deathbed, but Tyrion felt a pang of concern for his rather ‘unique’ guards.  Megan, or rather M’gann, was ill suited for the nest of vipers that King’s Landing truly was.  But, her strange powers more than made up for the former naive nature she had when she had first arrived.  Stranger still was the fact the other, Zatanna or Zat as he sometimes called her, had genuine magic behind her, much like the Children of legend.   _“Two years in this pit and you still manage to hold onto your morales.  I almost envy you two.  Almost.  Having a conscience is going to ensure things end badly for you, and possibly me as well.  And I’m particularly fond of living.”_

_“Try all you like Tyrion, but you can’t hide the fact you care for our safety, and the fact that you care about the people of this city.  Even if half of them would rather see the royal family pissed on after being burned to ashes.”_  Zatanna smirked at the Imp, who had joined them by the railing.  As usual, he tried to feign boredom, but his thoughts, as always, gave him away.  Or perhaps, he purposely let his ‘guards’ hear them at times.  Even M’gann wasn’t entirely sure on that point.

Regardless, the only reason they suspected he had been poisoned was because Jon Arryn had been a good man, but he had started asking questions.  Questions they feared that had gotten him killed.  Surviving the Mad King apparently hadn’t endeared him to his new enemies much.   _“Robert Baratheon, and the army he raised in rebellion, did King’s Landing and the whole of Westeros a favor by removing the Mad King.  No country deserves to be ruled by a tyrant.”_  Even Tyrion Lannister agreed with the strange girl’s assessment.  He knew Jamie would never admit it, but being in that man’s service had nearly broken him.  If nothing else could be said about him, Tyrion Lannister loved his family, no matter how fucked up they happened to be.

_“Unless that tyrant happens to be me of course.  And are we speaking from experience M’gann?  Queen Bee of your world’s Bialya must have been a nasty cunt, for you to have such venom in your thoughts.  I find this darker side of you positively....stimulating.”_  Tyrion could almost feel the secretive girl’s eyes boring into the back of his head.  Getting her to show the slightest frustration was a game he readily enjoyed playing.  Even so, he put a hand on her back and sighed as he looked to the dead man below them.   _“As much as I might hate my father at times, he would not have had the Hand poisoned.  He was too useful and well liked by the people to be tossed aside.  Arryn found something out, something that got him killed.  We’ll have to be extra cautious from here on out I’m afraid.”_

_“We weren’t already being cautious?”_  Zatanna asked, already hating the Game with a passion as it were.  M’gann purposely sent her ‘outfits’ to be washed and cleaned and sewn back together on occasion, just to keep her end of things going.  Zatanna saved her magic and actually changed clothes like a normal person.  She had found more than one of the numerous spies in the city following her however, and had sent a duplicate of herself off to mislead her unwanted tails on many occasions.  As long as they were trapped in this world, they had no choice in the matter but to play along, just like the rest.   _“Have I ever said I hate this fucking Game you nobles play?”_

_“I know you do Zat; you’re a perfectly sane beautiful young woman, and a very dangerous enemy in a pinch.  Having you two beside me has made me realize just how lucky I am.  Mostly because I get to gloat endlessly about how wonderful it is to fuck you.  Just for the sake of keeping up appearances, before you glare at me yet again M’gann.  As beautiful as you two are, I would never touch you in such an unseemingly manner.”_  It wasn’t fear for his own head that kept Tyrion’s hands from wandering, it was because he respected them too much to sully them in such a fashion.  He still couldn’t resist goading them from time to time, even though he knew the answer would always remain the same.   _“Unless you want me to?  No?  Oh well.  Your loss.”_

It had been a long time since Tyrion’s rude humor had actually bothered Zatanna, now she actually found it amusing and even a little charming.   _“Since the day we met you Tyrion, I never thought these words would come out of my mouth....head....whatever.  You may be the only half decent noble left in this entire disgusting, rotten to the core, disease that you call a city.”_

_“And that would be putting it in the kindest fashion you could Zat.  I have a few choice words I could use myself, but King’s Landing is home until my father says otherwise, so best grow used to being in this rotten city.  Still, if it’s any consolation you two, no matter what might happen next, I have enjoyed our time together.  Even if I am slow to admit it even to myself, you have made me a better Lannister.  I’m down to only seven whores and five barrels of wine a week.”_  Sadly, both women could testify to the fact that that was indeed a massive improvement over the amounts of excess Tyrion had enjoyed when they had dropped into his life.  Literally.

Luckily, they had fallen on him while he was getting his wine glass filled for only the second time that morning, and even more luckily, he had been at least partially clothed.  Had they arrived ten minutes later, he might have been drunk enough to ask them if they wished to join the orgy he had had planned for that day.  But having been mostly sober at the time, he was able to realize the incredible nature of his strange visitors.  It didn't take his keen mind more than five minutes to come to the conclusion that an apparent shape shifter / mind reader and a true magic user could be phenomenally deadly, not to mention useful.  It helped that M’gann and Zatanna were intelligent and quick to adapt in their own way, and despite a rough beginning, had gotten used to being around the lecherous Imp as his exotic ‘guards’.

Zatanna slightly nudged Tyrion as the funeral ceremony came to a close.  The man had been lost in his thoughts, as he was prone to do when he was bored, and hadn’t noticed his siblings approaching.  “I see you saw fit to bring your whores, oh I do apologize, your guards dear brother.  At least you got out of bed long enough to attend these tragic proceedings.”

There was one person in all of King’s Landing that M’gann would have gladly renounced her vow to never abuse her powers again, and if not for the literal Hell that would grip the world if she struck down Cersei Lannister, the martian would have done it without a second thought.  Robert Baratheon, despite all of his faults, still loved the ice cold hearted woman, and he would undoubtedly make heads roll until he found the one responsible for the deed.  That was another problem with being in King’s Landing; a single comment heard by the wrong person could eventually return to bite you in the ass later.  If a single statement could do that, then actions against the crown had far more reaching consequences for everyone.

Zatanna wholeheartedly agreed with M’gann’s hatred of Cersei, but she was more patient around the queen.  Her scathing remarks still stung after two years, but the magician had yet to set the woman ablaze.  Her father would have been proud of her restraint, but Zatanna did find it trying at times, dealing with the Lannisters’ shit day in and day out.  Jamie was tolerable, most days, but Cersei was far harder to deal with.  All Zatanna had to do was look at Cersei’s favored son, Joffrey, to have a reason to hate the queen’s guts.

Fortunately, Tyrion’s whip quick tongue retorted far faster than his guards could react.  “You are as elegant and tactful as ever dear sister.  But you know what they say about the pot defaming the kettle.”

A sly grin appeared on Jamie’s face as he bent over and whispered in his stature challenged brother’s ear.  “I don’t really think black applies brother.  I believe the color green would be far more appropriate.”  Showing exactly how impotent she was to harm him, Jamie gave a stunning smile to Megan as he returned to his full height.  “My brother always seems to have....interesting taste in women.  I thank you for your loyal _service_ in saving him from himself, no doubt.”

Zatanna had to grab Megan’s arm behind Tyrion’s back to stop her friend from reacting to the veiled reference to her nature.  She couldn’t risk a political incident, none of them could, especially against the Kingslayer and his sister.  “Your brother is a better man than you give him credit for my Lord, he just needs a gentler hand than some.”  There was a double entendre in there, and Cersei scoffed at the image Megan had conjured for her while Jamie seemed almost amused by the ‘whore’s’ choice of words.

Zatanna had to hide the smirk that wanted to form on her face as she came up with her own two coppers to include in the conversation.  “M’lord, my friend is right.  Lord Tyrion might be small in stature, but it’s always the least looked upon you should worry the most about.  They tend to surprise you.”

“Mostly I find that they tend to be killed, or die in poverty.  One mustn't be too concerned with the affairs of commoners.”  Cersei made a point of casting her brother a smug look.  “Or the other lowly people that fill this world.”

_“Oh if you only knew sweet sister.”_  Tyrion ‘thought’, just able to hide the smirk that threatened to appear on his face since he knew that his ‘guards’ were far more than they appeared.  So his brother had heard of Megan’s true color when she was asleep, that was not a big threat at the end of the day as far as he was concerned.  Most knew very little about the far reaches of the world, even the so-called authorities.  If worst came to worst, he could simply say she was from a foreign land, far from the known world.  Who would in their right mind would question a Lannister’s word?  Besides another Lannister, or someone of near equal importance or above such as the King, no one would dare.  “And that is why I am glad I am a Lannister sweet sister.  We always pay our debts, and usually tend to live longer than most.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe we have some packing to attend to.  If Robert is as predictable as ever, we’ll be going to Winterfell before too long.”

“I would command you to leave your whores here, but I know you won’t listen Tyrion.  Do as you like, you always do anyway.”  Now that she was calm once more, Megan, Zatanna, and the man that could be grudgingly called their friend, simply turned around and bowed to the queen in their respective ways, snubbing Cersei and her brother in the politest way they could.  When they were out of earshot, Cersei looked down to her hands and only then realized she had been digging her nails into the skin of her palms.  “Why couldn’t father have drowned him at birth?  I’ll never understand why he allowed that wretched, vile little Imp to live.”

Jamie had to give Tyrion credit, no one else he knew could piss his sister off quite so easily and get away with it.  “Well, you know how much father says we have to ‘honor the family name’ along with his other trite lessons.”

What had to be the most notable trio in all of Westeros quickly made their way to Tyrion’s private quarters post haste.  While not especially receptive of the feelings of most women, Tyrion Lannister could read his unique guards like an open book, even without the telepathy linking them together.  In the two years since becoming friends, of a sort, Tyrion had grown accustomed to having Zatanna and Megan in his mind and he in theirs.  If not for that link, their alliance would not have fared so well.  As strange as it had been at first, feeling their emotions and sharing their memories at times, it was something he would have missed quite a bit if it was ever taken away.

_“It sometimes bothers me just how much I wish I could kill your ‘dear sister’ Tyrion.”_  A subtle grin formed on Zatanna’s lips as she imagined setting the woman on fire.  Repeatedly.  The image she shared with her two companions was enough to calm Megan’s frayed nerves considerably, and even the martian, after Jamie’s admittance of knowing something about her, had to smile at Zatanna’s imagination.

_“How dare you imagine roasting my dear sister alive!  That’s my favorite pass time, I’m afraid you will have to get your own Zat.”_  It was all the three could do not to burst out into apparently random fits of laughter as they reached their destination shortly thereafter.

_“At least you don’t have the power to leave them all in a vegetative state.  That is a fate worse than death, and one I used....and regretted afterward.  In the case of Cersei and Jamie Lannister however, it’s a miracle I haven’t done it again.”_  She didn’t want to be that person again, but every day it got harder so long as she was in the royal family’s presence.

Even Tyrion could tell just how hard it was for M’gann to restrain the ‘beast’ she had once been, going by some of the stories he had heard from the two women.  But, he was not as concerned about the possibility of the compassionate and empathic M’gann falling off the deep end.  Sitting her down at the small table, which ironically had been the same table he had been at when they had first arrived, Tyrion made it a point to squeeze her right hand between his own and met her gaze before ‘speaking’ again.   _“You worry too much, my compassionate Rose.  If it makes you feel any better, I completely understand your desire to do them harm, but I know you’re too good of a person to actually do so.”_

M’gann managed to give the little Lord a slight smile; he always knew just what to say to cheer her up.   _“I wish I was as confident of that as you are, Tyrion.”_  The Lannister knew that mercy and kindness were traits that more often than not would get you killed in King’s Landing, or worse.  Yet he always felt compelled to encourage their continued existence in both of his unusual charges.  Without those two traits, he doubted they’d be the same people he had come to enjoy having in his life.

_“Then be glad that if things go as I know they are likely to, you will be meeting a truly honorable man, and his family, before the month is out.  Lord Eddard Stark, the Lord of the Northlands, is one of the few people Robert can turn to in a time of crisis.  Without Jon serving as his Hand, Ned will no doubt be asked to take up the mantle.  If you wish, you may stay in Winterfell.  I believe you would be far safer there, given the increasingly annoying attempts to discover more of our shared secrets.”_

_“You wouldn’t survive a week without us Tyrion.”_  Zatanna replied, her smirk hiding how truly touched she was by his offer to leave them with a far better family and living situation than they had now.  M’gann was also shocked, but not as much by Tyrion’s surprising offer.  She had always known, from day one as a matter of fact, that there was a truly good man underneath the bullshit veneer Tyrion projected to everyone around him.   _“As much as we might hate it here Tyrion, we owe you a lot for what you’ve done for us in the two years since we’ve been together.  I know I wouldn’t feel right leaving you alone with your screwed up family.”_  What Zatanna didn’t say was that she almost considered Tyrion like the brother she never had.  Leaving him would be like losing her father all over again.

The Lannister managed to give Zatanna a look that screamed ‘Are you an idiot?’, while never losing the twinkle in his eyes. _“Screwed up?  Try morbidly psychotic and devious to boot, but my offer still stands.  If you ever tell anyone this I will deny it to my dying breath but, incredibly selfish as I am, I would rather my neck be in the proverbial noose than either of yours.”_

_“Zatanna’s right Tyrion.  You accepted me after some....explanation, and treated me with more respect than anyone else in your world, or on my homeworld for that matter.”_  M’gann couldn’t come out and say it either, but Tyrion Lannister was the closest thing to the eccentric father figure she could have wished for in Westeros.  Even her own biological father hadn’t been nearly as protective of her as the littlest Lannister was, and it helped that he was a forward thinker, even in such a backwards place.  Seven Hells take her if she even considered abandoning him to the machinations of his own family.

_“It’s nice to know that even vastly advanced civilizations are just as stupid as my own.  Anyone who would mistreat you for the color of your skin should have been cast into the Seven Hells long ago.”_  He’d never admit it either, but he was truly and deeply touched that they would risk their lives for him,even if King’s Landing made them absolutely miserable.  It spoke volumes about their character, as well as their steadfast loyalty that he would never betray.   _“Well, we’d best start packing.  I doubt Robert will wait more than a few days, a week at most.  The fat bastard does crave a good adventure when he gets the opportunity, I’ll give him that.”_

Zatanna’s ‘mouth’ was quicker than the hand she used to deal from a deck of cards.   _“You mean when he isn’t hunting, drinking, and whoring himself into an early grave?”_  As degrading as the thought was, it was no secret to anyone that the King indulged himself far too much.  Not even the deceased Hand had been able to talk sense into Robert about his excessive habits, some of which put even Tyrion’s to shame.

_“I suppose you want me to take some type of lesson from that Zat?  I fear I am a terrible student when it comes to reining in one’s vices.  Feel free to keep on trying though, I do so love the frustrated looks you give me.”_  As if to show just how futile a quest that was, their patron downed an entire glass of wine in one large gulp.

_“You might wake up one day and find the bed is smoldering if I get frustrated enough.”_  Zatanna grinned while M’gann stifled the giggle that wanted to escape her lips.  Tyrion merely rolled his eyes, and gave one of his best shit eating grins he was capable of.

_“My dear Zat, is that sexual tension I hear in your voice?  You know, I hear Petyr Baelish is having a special on his best whores this weekend.  Perhaps you should go indulge yourself....for once.  I know I’m going to, repeatedly.  As much as I’m sure I’ll enjoy freezing my balls off in the North, I plan on staying a bit warmer at night until then.”_  Neither woman could honestly blame him if the stories about the North, and the infamous Wall, were true.  While M’gann was suited for the cold, she knew that humans weren’t so easily able to adapt.  Given Tyrion’s preferences for the warmer climes, and warm beds for that matter, he would no doubt be miserable in the cold and far less comfortable accommodations of the North.

_“Haven’t you learned Tyrion? Lannisters aren’t the only people that pay their debts.  A magician scorned, especially a female magician, is one enemy you don’t want to make.”_  Megan replied, standing from the table before going to the nearest dresser to prepare for the trip.  “Come on Lord Tyrion, no need to waste time, we at least should get started right?  We’ll have some left over...later.”  ‘Playing the part’ wasn’t so hard for M’gann, even if it left a bad taste in the martian’s mouth to keep up the appearance of Zatanna and herself playing bed warmers to the little lord.

_“You ruined a perfectly good joke, with a not so veiled twist on my House’s own motto, while managing to scare the piss right out of me at the same time.  Nicely done.”_  The smirk on Tyrion’s face never faltered, even as he too rose from the small table and considered which books he’d be taking with him for the impending trip to the North.  “Oh my dear ‘Rose’, if you weren’t so good at sucking my cock, I would never stand such impertinence.”

In an odd way, it troubled Tyrion that he couldn’t even do his part around the two girls to make their little show all the more convincing, without feeling a slight twinge of guilt.  The fact that the two had become lovers over the last year had assuaged some of that guilt.  It kept them sane and provided a way to relieve stress, and Tyrion usually either hung around and read a book, with a silence spell over his head until they were done, or went out in public with duplicates of the two women while the real Zatanna and Megan took care of business.  He could easily understand why they never availed themselves of his favorite hobby.  Why would you want to fuck a possible spy when you could make love to your trusted friend instead?  It certainly occurred to him, several times, how utterly insane it was for him to sit reading A History of Westeros while two beautiful women made love in the next room.   _Oh the tortures I submit to for my friends...._

The closest he had ever gotten to actually playing the part completely was Zatanna offering to make a duplicate of herself for his use, but to their sheer shock and surprise, Tyrion had bluntly refused.  She had tried to explain that she wouldn’t technically feel a thing, that it was really a pale imitation of the real magician, but the Lannister had again refused.  His reasoning had been simple, and probably the most honest they had ever heard him, at that time.  “ _She still looks just like you Zatanna, and I would still feel as if I was abusing you in some way.  I will not let that stand, even if it would make this whole Game that much more convincing.”_  That had been the night he had earned their utter respect and loyalty.  The affair had been six months into their stay in King’s Landing, and their friendship had only improved from there.

“Then I’ll just have to continue impressing you, Little Lord.”   _“At least that part is true.”_  It always brought a smile to Tyrion’s face when M’gann giggled, glad she had kept that innocent habit as well.

**Free City of Pentos**

**Connor Kent**

How he hadn’t completely destroyed Viserys Targaryen was anyone’s guess.  Standing silent watch in the back of the small gathering that was constantly around the would be king of the Seven Kingdoms, Connor Kent, Cadmus clone and a member of the team, had to remember who he was there to protect.  Daenerys, the timid, quiet sister to the temperamental asshole, needed protection from more than her brother’s whims.  There had been at least three attempts on the Targaryens' lives since he had been a part of their loyal guards, and each time the assassins had been beaten back if not left in a pile of broken body parts.  It was the only thing that kept Connor from doing the same to Viserys, but everyday it grew harder for him to hold his temper in check.

He had lost count of the number of sword hilts he had bent out of shape when he clenched his hand too tightly anytime he was asked to watch over the soon to be sold off Daenerys, and Viserys happened to be in the same room.  If not for his years on the team back home, the constant training and all the time spent with his ‘father’, the real Superman, Clark Kent, Connor doubted he’d have done half as well as he had thus far in restraining himself.  Especially at that very moment, as it  always sickened him to see Daenerys being touched by her brother.

_Waking the dragon indeed.  That pissant doesn’t know anything of the world.  I don’t care if his father was the King once, he was one Targaryen that would have been better off dead._  Conner thought to himself as he turned his back to the now undressed Daenerys, doing his best to ignore the words he could hear whispered between the brother and sister.  His superior senses were a curse in cases like this.  Just like the real Superman, the clone’s body was superhuman in every way, and when you could hear and see better than the average person by far, there was little point in trying to distance yourself from the man you hated with a passion.

So focused was he on blocking out the disgusting way the man handled his own sister, Connor didn’t hear Viserys approach until the man was right behind him.  It took every bit of his restraint he had not to turn around and shove Viserys’ head down his throat when the bastard brushed by the kryptonian clone, and smirked over his shoulder at Connor on his way out the door.  Not everyone is out to please your twisted ego pal.  “The water’s too hot m’lady.”  Connor looked over his shoulder when one of the servant’s noted on the temperature of the water, but it didn’t take a mind reader to see that Dany wasn’t feeling the heat.  If anything, she seemed to thrive in it.

“Would it bother you if I said I hated your brother’s guts?”  Connor asked, his back still turned away from the beautiful if timid young woman.  The servants were wise enough to hold their tongues around the seemingly invincible young bodyguard.  Spears, lances, swords, shields; all of them and more broke against Conner, leaving only bruises and small cuts behind that disappeared in hours, if not sooner.  To be more accurate, he broke them, and the stupid men that wielded them, with ease.  It was what had allowed him to stay in the employ of Viserys and his sister, his seemingly unstoppable physical nature.

Connor had no doubt that dragon glass, castle forged steel, and valyrian forged weapons could hurt him a great deal, but out in these lands, few people had such quality in their blades.  The only reason he knew about any of them was that Viserys, despite all of his faults, was intelligent and he was also a chatty drunk.  He liked to brag and boast about the sword he carried, among other things.

Unbeknownst to even her own brother however, Connor had learned of a stronger side to the pale woman.  She was smarter and far more patient than he would have imagined upon first meeting her.  “No...it would not Ser Kent.  Please do not let my brother's less than elegant ways trouble you.  I have learned that patiently abiding him is far superior than dealing with his immature wrath.”

“You remind me of one of my old mentors from home, the way you’re able to hold your true colors in check, even in the face of that pompous ass.”  Black Canary, the martial arts trainer and psychologist for the young team, came to mind anytime he was in Dany’s presence, alone as they were now.  Both women were far more than they appeared.

“It’s a Game I have managed to become very adept at, since I had no choice but to play my part.  You may turn around now Ser Kent, if you wish.”  While most only saw a fragile looking young blonde woman, Connor could always see the hidden fire in her eyes.  He didn’t need superhuman senses to see it either, but he was far more perceptive than most because of his time around people that hid so much about themselves on a regular basis.  He hoped that spark of defiance in her soul would one day see her free of her abusive, and cruel, elder sibling.  Connor had, unbeknownst to her brother, helped fan that spark, but it was slow going.  Two years didn’t undo a lifetime of cruelty and having to hide everywhere you went for fear of royal assassins catching up with you.

Connor found himself tongue tied for a moment as he took in the gossamer white wedding gown that had almost been poured onto the older woman.  Being born a force grown clone made virtually everyone older than him biologically, but Connor didn’t concentrate on that detail as he did his best to hide the blush on his cheeks at the mere sight of Dany.  “I hate to admit it, but your brother has good taste.  In clothing at least.  Don’t tell him I said this either, but he’s right, you do slouch too much.  You’re a beautiful, strong woman Daenerys; be proud you’re not like him in any way.”

Coming from Connor, the words didn’t make her skin crawl, like her brother’s had.  It helped that he wasn’t feeling up her breasts of course.  “I thank you for your honesty, and I shall not speak of the unheard of event of your actually agreeing with my brother on anything.”  The mischievous twinkle in Daenerys’ eyes never failed to put a grin on Connor’s face.  “Now let me be honest with you in kind.  I know how trying he is, but I am eternally grateful you haven’t killed him Ser Kent.  We both know how easily you could do it.”

From someone that had no true blood family to call his own, Connor’s next words weren’t lost on the Targaryen woman, having heard part of his story, edited as it had been so she could understand what he had been through.  “You’ve lost enough Dany.  Your home, your friends, everything.  I would never deprive you of the last remaining relative you have left, even if he’s a terrible person.”

“I would tell you that I wish to mellow his more harsh qualities, but I know my brother will never be changed.  Despite his claims, he is no dragon, if anything, he is a foul tempered lizard that is doomed to be crushed under another’s boot.”  The imagery Dany painted for Connor made the small smile on his face grow considerably as he fell in step behind the better half of the remaining Targaryens.

As much as he hated the arranged marriage to the coming Khal Drogo, he knew that without a strong army at their back, there would be no hope of retaking Dany’s home.  Connor didn’t relish the thought of fighting in a war that wasn’t his own, but if it meant keeping the woman safe, then he’d do what he had to do.  It was no secret to the kryptonian that Dany didn’t want to go through with the marriage either, but the desire to go home overruled her desire to run away and never look back.

And Dany was done running.  “Time to meet my future husband, I hope Khal Drogo will find me acceptable.  This is truly the last chance my family has of reclaiming its rightful place in Westeros.”

“A blind man could see how beautiful and kind you are Dany.  This Drogo is an idiot if he can’t see something so obvious.”  The ‘timid’ girl returned as they exited the home of their current host with her bodyguard by her side, much to Viserys’ silent annoyance.  Connor could feel the man’s eyes on his back until he took his place on his sister’s right side, but the smirk on the clone’s face never faltered.  Even as Dany was held back and told about the Khal’s reputation as the most savage killer in the land, Connor had won the day by annoying Visy even in the slightest.

Connor found his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword, yet again, as Dany approached the rather stern looking man at the front of a small group on horseback.  He spoke but a few words, more like grunted them out, and then rode off without a look back.  “That’s it?  He didn’t say anything, did he like her?”

Before Illyrio could say anything to the aptly named Beggar Prince, Connor beat him to the punch as he crossed his arms over his chest.  “I have a feeling we’d know if he didn’t.”  While everyone else added some kind of respectful title to Viserys whenever they spoke to him, not once had Connor done so.  It was just one of the things that drove the would be King insane with rage that Connor was able to get away with.

“Your arrogant tongue is getting to be an overly burdensome annoyance _boy_.  I think I shall finally cut it out for you.”  Viserys immediately turned on his heel and pulled his sword from its sheath, but Connor was the faster as his sword’s tip stopped at the man’s throat, freezing him to the spot.

His blue eyes narrowed to slits as he casually walked around Viserys, his sword’s tip never wavering from its spot against the man’s neck.  “I promised I would never kill you Viserys, but I’m not an enemy you want to make.  I’m here to protect her, not you.  So don’t tempt me Dragonborn.  And just so we’re clear, Daenerys is more of a dragon than you could ever be.”

“How dare-”  Connor jabbed the man’s throat hard enough to draw blood and he finally seemed to realize the tenuous nature of his situation.  “I believe I shall retire for the day sister,  your simpleton _brute_ has given me a terrible headache.”

A gentle hand on Connor’s arm made the clone relax and lower his sword, letting Viserys run with his pride and enormous ego at least partially intact.  “I don’t know whether to congratulate your boldness young Ser or to warn you of the repercussions that are likely to fall on you.”  Illyrio smiled regardless as he returned to his palatial estate, having a Dothraki wedding to prepare for in the near future.

**The Wall**

**Bart Allen**

“Too slow!”  Bart had never been hit, but the recruits he was training now, and had trained, knew that the punches he threw hurt.  Even the punches they never saw coming hurt a great deal, as the many painful bruises, cuts, and welts could attest to already.  Today was worse given the recent losses the Night’s Watch had endured, not to mention the fact that they were still missing three men.  “Pain is up here, learn to deal with it.”  Tapping the side of his head with his right index finger, Bart gave the downed recruits time to recover as he continued his lecture.  “Fear is a choice, make it before it decides for you.”  A man gasping for air was pulled to his feet a fraction of a second later.  “Either you’re going to defend yourself and the man standing beside you, or you aren’t.”  No matter how bad things got in one of Bart’s lessons, the instructor always made it a point to soothe their egos and their prides by being kind to the recruits afterwards.  He had gained an instant following because of it.

And then there was Allisor Thorne, a man that was cruel, bitter, and harsh to the extreme.  Bart always thought of Black Beetle when in the drill master’s presence.  “It seems you’re still the least useless person here Allen.  All right you pathetic little cunts!  Go clean yourselves up and stop disgracing this place!”

“It’s bad enough that I humiliate them per our leaders’ orders, but you don’t have to humiliate them too Thorne.  Would it kill you to pretend to be human?”  Bart was ready for the inevitable tirade, but it never came as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont stepped in before they could come to blows, again.

Walking down the stairs from the castle keep, the man had a good view of the area below as he addressed his men.  “The boy has a point, Thorne.  We need more well trained men, not broken husks.  You’re going good lad; I already overheard them plotting how to work together in order to best you next time.”  The Lord Commander gave Bart a rare grin as he continued.  “That is exactly the kind of thing we need in the Night’s Watch, those that band together for a common cause.  There isn’t enough of that to go around in these dark days.”

After putting the goggles back on the top of his head, the only part of his old costume he had kept, Bart couldn’t help the smirk on his face as he rubbed the bottom of his chin with the back of his right wrist.  “Thanks old man Mormont- err High Lord Ultra Commander.”

Mormont only raised an amused eyebrow, long used to Bart’s usual disregard for most authority.  Thorne only grunted in annoyance and walked away.  The ‘lad’ that had become the new favorite in the span of a mere two years on the Wall had to sleep sometime.  The boy would get his just punishment one day, of that he was sure.  Luckily for Bart, most of the other brothers of the Watch either saw what a great help he was to them, or had become friends with the impulsive young warrior.

Despite his jovial attitude, Bart suspected Thorne would try something sooner or later.  Where he came from, it had been kill or be killed.  He recognized a potential threat when he saw one, and the horrors he had witnessed in the bleak future that was no longer a part of the world he had left behind would have broken even Thorne.  Make your plans Alliser, I’ll be ready.  He had fought and defeated far worse men than Alliser Thorne with one hand tied behind his back.  Even so, Bart wouldn’t underestimate him.

It had taken them months to accept his strange abilities, even Mormont had been slow to trust him at first, but things had changed for the better.  The day he had single handedly rescued a raiding party that had foolishly gone far beyond the Wall, was the day he had earned the respect of the Night’s Watch.  Fool recruits, seeking to prove themselves in a land that killed men as easily as the beasts and wildlings that called it home, had gotten themselves in over their heads.  While they had been punished for their stupidity, Bart would still get the occasional nod of thanks, even the better part of a year later.  It probably had just as much to do with the fact he had pleaded with the Lord Commander to show them leniency, as it did with the fact he had saved their lives.

The only downside to being the fastest man in Westeros was that he had the metabolism to match.  Luckily, Mormont turned a blind eye to Bart’s need to hunt far beyond the Wall in search of his own food, so long as he brought back a share of his success to the barracks to share among the men.  Meat graced the tables nearly every night, something that had been unheard of before his arrival.  A specially made sled helped ease the burden of dragging the dead animals back to be served to the men later, once they had been properly prepared.  Even before leaving the dark future he had grown up in behind, Bart had been an accomplished hunter.  His time in the Night’s Watch had only made him a better tracker.  They had taught him tricks even he hadn’t considered before.

Despite all of his tricks and his abilities, they still had three missing rangers out beyond the Wall, and Bart felt responsible.  Mormont put a hand on his young friend’s shoulders, drawing the speedster out of his dark thoughts.  “Look lad, you haven’t taken your vows, but you’re more of a brother of the Watch than most of the men here.  You’ve done far better work and far more to aid our number than twenty of our rangers put together.  You have nothing to be ashamed of and you are not responsible for ill fate taking three of our boys.  But I’ll stop you before you even ask permission.  Go, find them if you can, and if you can’t, find out what happened to them.”  Bart’s face lit up like it was his Nameday before he left a black blur behind in his wake, a blast of wind following behind him as the speedster ran down the Wall itself and into the land beyond.  “Good luck lad.”

Seven Hells take him if he couldn’t find three missing rangers.  He wouldn’t stop looking until he had something concrete to bring back to Mormont, be it good news or bad.  It took him the better part of that day, backtracking the trail the rangers had left behind, but Bart found his answers when night had fallen.  “Oh I am seriously feeling the mode right now.”  Old blood on the ground, the signs of a fight, and the hoof prints of the rangers’ horses were evident enough even in the failing light.  It wasn’t until he came across the remains of the wildings’ camp that he started to wonder if he hadn’t gotten himself into trouble.

The depressions in the snow where the bodies had been left to sit in a very particular pattern made Bart nervous as he knelt at the edge of the site, examining what clues there were to see.  Something had taken the time to arrange the corpses.  The fact the corpses weren’t there anymore made the speedster even more nervous, having heard the old stories the Night’s Watch told the new recruits, having been one himself not so long ago.  He was starting to wonder if they weren’t just stories anymore.

Unsheathing the daggers he kept on his belt, Bart felt a chill go down his spine as he thought he saw a pair of blue eyes peering back at him for a moment before they disappeared.  He wasn’t alone in the woods, and the fact he felt like he had suddenly become the hunted only added to the tension in the air.  “This is so not crash.  Is anyone out there?!  I’m looking for-”  Bart caught a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision and barely had time to duck when a blade came out of the dark, held by a recently dead man with icy blue eyes.  Since half of his chest was hanging open, that pretty much answered the question of his current state of health.  The fact he was all in black also told Bart who he had once been.

“Oh this is so not crash at all.  I’m sorry man, but it’s either you or me tonight, and I prefer to live.  At least I can help you rest in peace, and as a bonus you’ll be all the proof old man Mormont needs.”  Bart wasted no time in slicing up the man before the former ranger literally fell apart before his eyes.  He made it a point to keep the head in one piece so it’d be easier to identify who the man had been, but as soon as Bart went to pick it up, the Wight’s eyes opened again and the head tried to take a bite out of his hand.    “Now I just need you to start saying ‘you will never find the Necronomicon’ and we’d have the perfect rendition of Army of Darkness going here.”  Bart quickly threw together a simple sled, and then very carefully tossed the head onto it first before adding the rest of the body.  It was just in time because he could have sworn he had seen three more sets of icy blue eyes in the dark in the few seconds it had taken him to make his sled.

He had a feeling there were more he wasn’t seeing among the ice and snow.  He was the fastest man in Westeros, but even Bart had his limits, and he wasn’t about to take on an army of undead creatures in the frigid dark night.  “See ya!”  Grabbing onto the handlebars of his improvised sled, the speedster took off just as the trap started to close in around him as a dozen Wights stepped out of the trees around him.  He barely had time to run to the side when a straggler swung its axe at him, leaving a painful shallow cut on his left side, but he was out of reach long before the Wight got a chance to try it again.

“And I thought the Reach was bad....at least they weren’t freakin’ ice zombies.”  Even as the boy laughed at his own joke, he was terrified inside that he had been a split second away from a fate worse than death.  He was never going to wander so far from the Wall again after tonight, even during his hunting trips.  That last close shave had been far too close for his liking.  Getting back to Castle Black in a miniscule fraction of the time it would have taken a raiding party, Bart took a moment to catch his breath.

“You’re getting slow lad.”  Benjan Stark smirked, having had a feeling their resident speedster would be coming.  He never took more than a day at most to return from a mission in any case, and the First Ranger had volunteered to wait for his return.  Seeing the sled several feet behind the young man, Benjan felt all of his good humor disappear when he saw the grisly cargo Bart had brought back.  “That’s far enough lad, the Lord Commander would cut my balls off if I let you bring that bloody thing beyond the Wall.  Just take the head, easy enough to burn this lot in the meantime.”

“Don’t mind if I do Benny boy.  I need a bandage anyway, got myself marked by one of that thing’s friends on my way back.”  Bart was immensely relieved just to be back at Castle Black as he looked at the First Ranger with the same respect he had for Mormont.  “If you plan to go out there, watch yourself Benjan.  I don’t think the rest of the Rangers are coming home.  And if they do....”  All they had to do was look at the sled to fill in that morbid blank.

“Get your arse moving boy-”  A strong cold gust of wind smacked into Benjan Stark’s face a moment later as Bart took his advice, for once.  “I hate it when he does that, always get damn icicles in my beard.”  Despite his complaints, Benjan looked worriedly to the remains that the lad had brought back.  Wights appearing again, rumors of dark things in the forests, wildling sightings, and the days were slowly getting shorter.  Winter was indeed coming, and he feared that the cold nights would bring with it more than a slow, cold death.  At least this night would be a little warmer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Unknown Location**

**Two Years Earlier...**

Falling out of the sky in nothing but pajama bottoms and a tank top did nothing for even the most stable person's mood. For someone that could be at best volatile, like Artemis Lian Crock, as she spat out green leaves and pulled out twigs from her long blonde hair, it was best to stay clear. Seeing a familiar red arc of electricity in the sky, Artemis couldn't believe her foul luck as she put two and two together. "Klarion! I'm going to make you pay for this you brat!" There was no familiar snicker, no speeches made by the witch boy. All Artemis got in reply was a chill wind that cut right through her to the bone.

"Last I checked it wasn't winter. What did Klarion do to us this time?!" Shivering as she looked up to the tree she had fallen into on her way down, wincing when she felt a twig she had missed stab her in the small of her back, Artemis growled as she ascended the tree as quickly as she could. She needed to figure out where she had wound up, and then figure out if any of the team were nearby. If they were, then they could come up with a plan from there. Otherwise, she'd have to find them, if that was even a possibility.

The problem with Klarion and his chaos magic, it was just that, chaos. Every spell he cast was steeped in the unpredictable, which made it impossible to truly know what he was capable of. The fact she was lost in the middle of some forest and that it was probably just shy of freezing, when back home it had been in the middle of July, made it pretty clear she was up a shit creek with no paddle.

Once she had reached the topmost branches, Artemis was taken aback by what she saw. While she could see the edge of the forest, it what she didn't see that bothered her more. There was absolutely no sign of a city or town having existed that she could see from her current vantage point. The air was also entirely too crisp and clear too, having none of the city pollution she was so used to breathing in.

As for how this had happened at all, that was easy to explain. The moment her head had hit the pillow last night, Artemis had been out like a light. It was the only way Klarion could have gotten the drop on her, which meant he had somehow followed them home. That didn't matter now though as the archer sighed and shook her head, having spent too much time exposed as she had. She needed a fire and warm clothes before she froze to death, and preferably before night fell. Her gray eyes had already seen one wolf wandering around as she climbed down her tree. Where there was one, there was always more.

She made it a point to break off a particularly long branch on her way down before tossing it ahead of her. She might not be able to make a fire out of it, but she could do something with it at least. Any tools were better than none at this point. A simple spear would be enough for now. With wolves around and who knew what else, any defense was better than none.

The pile of twigs that she had knocked loose originally were still close by, and after gathering them up, Artemis looked around for a sharp rock she could use to, if nothing else, sharpen the spear she planned to make. She didn't have the supplies or the time to make arrows and a bow, as much as she preferred them, but she had other skills which would serve her well. Between her father and Oliver Queen, her true father figure and mentor as far as the blonde archer was concerned, Artemis was better equipped than most to handle whatever awaited her out here.

Huddled by a fire and roasting a rabbit she had managed to catch, Artemis heard the wolves long before she saw them. Their howls were close, closer than she would have liked, but she remained calm as she picked up her spear and rose to her full height moments later. Cold, hungry, and about to be ate by wolves, could her day get any worse?

The snap of a twig close by answered that question for her, as Artemis spun around to see six pairs of glowing eyes not twenty paces away. "You're going to have to work for this meal!" The archer shouted into the night as the glowing eyes receded into the darkness. Just a hint of movement was enough to warn her as two more wolves came out of the inky blackness on her left side. "Who's first?!"

The vicious predators had expected a weakened target from the cold and the snow. What they got was something else entirely. The tip of her spear punctured one wolf in the heart as it leapt at her, dead before it hit the dirt. That seemed to be a signal to the rest as they charged her together. As she quickly climbed back up the tree, one wolf made the mistake of trying to jump her. Only to end up bashing its own head in when it hit the tree, instead of getting its jaws around her leg as it had intended. Safe for the moment, Artemis glared down at the six hungry sets of sharp teeth waiting for her.

"It's gonna be a long wait!" Climbing higher in her tree, Artemis settled in for a long and miserable night. "Mind if I borrow your friends' fur? Doesn't look like they'll be needing it." As the remaining wolves snapped and growled at her, Artemis thunked her head against the trunk in an attempt to get comfortable. "I figured as much." She planned to make herself a fur coat the first chance she got, but for now she just hoped she woke up in the morning with all of her fingers and toes still attached.

A loud shout abruptly dragged Artemis back to consciousness in the blink of an eye as she instinctively grabbed onto a nearby branch. "Hey, you there! Are you alright girl? How in the seven hells did you get stuck up there all night?" She looked down at a simply, but heavily, dressed man in dirty leather breeches, an old wolf fur cloak he had probably made himself given the holes she could see from her spot in her tree, and heavy brown boots and gloves. The man himself looked friendly enough, a slightly amused smile on his rugged face from her current predicament no doubt. "Are you a mute or something girl? You must be freezing up there, lucky you survived the night."

"I can talk just fine pal, but yeah, it wasn't exactly summer weather up here." Artemis was careful to slowly climb back down so as not to give anything away. She didn't trust anyone on first appearances, but that didn't mean she couldn't be cordial at least.

"Well, I was planning on cooking this..." The man pulled a good size skinned rabbit and two squirrels out of a satchel at his side. "You're free to have some if you like. Here, take this and cover up, need to warm your hands and feet properly, else you might lose them." The man pulled out a blanket as well and laid it near the bottom of the tree, before walking away and starting a small fire nearby.

"Thanks." She didn't need this stranger to tell her that as she settled her feet on the ground once again, and immediately wrapped herself in the blanket that the man had given her. "Name's Artemis, and again thanks for coming along when you did. I wound up trapped in that tree thanks to some wolves. How I got out here is a bit...of a long story." She doubted he'd believe a word she had to say if she decided to tell the truth, which Artemis had no intention of doing anyway.

"Nice to meet you Artemis, call me Hagan. Come on, I won't bite, warm yourself by the fire and you can share this long story." The man pointed to the ground opposite him by the fire, having long since noted the two dead wolves. "That your handiwork? Starks might take an issue, someone hunting on their land without their leave." It was the law of the land that the Lords of the North had the right to hunt their own lands. Everyone else had to either pay a fine to do the same or serve in one of their castles. Anyone else was considered a poacher and was subject to punishment if they were caught.

The young girl cautiously sat as close to the fire, and the stranger, as she dared. Even shivering from the intense cold, Artemis wasn't one to take chances. "I didn't exactly have a choice. I was the one being hunted." That was the truth in a nutshell. "And I see you have breakfast and a fur cloak, so who's been doing what now?" The smirk on her trembling lips made Hagan chuckle as he looked over his shoulder at the aforementioned cloak.

"Eh, you got me there. Best we don't get caught then. Lord Eddard Stark is a good man or so I've heard, he'd be more understanding than some folk out here in the North." Artemis couldn't help staring at the cooking meat the man had set over the fire while they talked. Hagan's green eyes flicked over the meat as well before he looked towards his companion. "That raises the question; how'd you even get out here? Was it that strange lightning storm I saw yesterday? Never seen red lightning before, made more than a few folk a little uncomfortable."

So Klarion's spell had disturbed the locals. She wasn't sure how far away the effects of his spell had been, but Artemis was sure she'd be hearing about it again before this adventure was over. "Like I said...it's a long story. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Alright, keep your secrets. Doesn't matter to me much one way or the other, you seem a nice enough girl and that's good enough for me." He grabbed one of the now cooked squirrels and tossed it over to the clearly starving young woman. While she ate her fill, Hagan helped himself to the second of his squirrels, planning to save his rabbit for later. "So wolf huntress, what do you plan to do with your prize?"

Artemis stopped licking her fingers for a moment to answer the man. "If I had a skinning knife, I had planned to make myself a fur coat, their pelts would work nicely. I don't take too kindly to being attacked in the night. They should have picked someone else to hunt." She shrugged as she went back to finishing the meager leftovers of her squirrel. It was a lot better than nothing. "You can have half the meat, if you want it. Least I can do to thank you."

"Generous of you lass, and I think I can help with that. Here, don't lose it, my only one." He carefully leaned over to hand her a simple leather hilted straight steel dagger. "Well go on, take it. You seem the trustworthy type, and I'm sure we could certainly use a week's worth of meat.

"It's 'we' already?" Artemis smirked all the wider as she took the dagger, gratitude easy to see on her face. "Thanks again. I'll give it back as soon as I'm done with it." If she somehow lost it between the fire and the closer of her two wolves, she didn't deserve to be called Artemis, or Tigress for that matter. She quickly set to skinning both of the wolves in an efficient and wasteless manner.

Hagan admired her work for a few minutes, wondering where in the seven hells she had learned to do a man's job. It didn't take long to figure out there was a lot more to the blonde young woman than met the eye. "You sure know your way around a knife. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"A...friend of mine taught me everything from archery to fencing, as well as hunting and skinning. Where'd you learn your trade Hagan?" Artemis asked as she rolled the wolf carcass she was working on over the rest of the way before returning to work. Cleaning it would be a pain in the ass, but it'd be worth it when it was done.

"Oh, my father taught me mostly, the rest I picked up along the way. Mind if I take a look at your style? Seems a damn sight better than anything I've tried over the years." Artemis shrugged and waved Hagan over to her side, never taking her eyes off of the task at hand. Another few minutes and she'd have herself a new fur pelt.

Hagan got up with a grunt of effort, before casually walking over to her. "Sure, whatever. See, the trick is-" The subtle glint of cold steel was the only warning Artemis got as she turned and saw that her new 'friend' had another dagger in his hand, and he was already prepared to use it on her. If not for her lightning fast reflexes, the dagger would have pierced her lung as it slipped between her ribs. Artemis grabbed a hold of his knife arm and surprised him with the level of strength she possessed as she pushed him away, the dagger coming out as easily as it had gone in as he stumbled back. The borrowed dagger in her other hand found a new home, lodged in the man's right eye before she or he had any idea of what was happening until it was over.

The pain that followed had Artemis on her hands and knees by Hagan's corpse. Tears formed in her eyes at the shock that threatened to overtake her senses, but she couldn't let it. She needed to bind the wound or at the very least, keep pressure on it until she got to someone that could help her. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Ollie is probably facepalming himself right now!" The injured girl didn't bother reflecting on her mistake any more than that as she quickly cut up the man's shirt to use for a bandage. The dagger she had been stuck with was tossed into the fire before she quickly pulled the other one loose. It proved pretty useful for the task as she made herself a dozen leather strips in no time flat. What she had in mind however was going to hurt a lot, but the blonde knew she had no choice in the matter.

From what little she had seen thus far, Artemis knew that she was not in a modern world. That meant medicine was going to be real hard to come by. It was a good thing Ollie had insisted on teaching her the basics in wilderness survival. The last thing she needed to do was draw more attention to herself right now, so she grabbed a leftover piece of leather, and bit down on it hard. _Okay...like Ollie said, don't think about it. Just act. This is gonna really suck._

The dagger she had thrown into the fire was already glowing red hot, ready for what she needed to do. The archer snatched the blade up and pressed it to her side in one rapid motion. Thankfully, only a loud grunt escaped her lips instead of a blood curdling shriek of pain. A few agony filled moments later, after the deed was done, Artemis slumped over and groaned weakly as she waited for the pain to stop. The smell of burnt flesh was thick in her nostrils but sheer force of will stopped her from retching, or passing out for that matter.

Before she let herself rest, Artemis stripped her would be killer, or worse, of his warm clothing and boots, and quickly covered her shivering form. Only after wrapping the blanket around her as well did she finally allow herself to pass out. The physical exhaustion of being stabbed and treating the wound was only part of the problem. The emotional wear and tear of taking another man's life, that was something else. There were only a few rules when working with the team, and keeping casualties to an absolute minimum was one of them.

Out of all the battles she had ever been a part of, Artemis had never been forced to take another person's life.  Not a day had passed in this world, and she had broken that single rule. Her sleep wasn't easy, needless to say, but that wasn't anything new if she wanted to be honest with herself. Her dreams quickly turned into nightmares as they often times did. She dreamt of her father, standing over the man she had killed with a giant smile on his face. "Always knew you had it in you baby girl." His blue eyes were twinkling with murderous glee at the disgusted and guilty look she gave to him and the body. "Right through the eye too, didn't have to think about it either. Jade would be impressed. Never even saw your sister pull off a kill that clean, you should be proud."

"Go to Hell dad."  Artemis's attempt at a rebuttal was laughed off by the career criminal in front of her.  Her mother, her sister, and her father all were criminals in some form or another.  Was it any surprise that she had found it so easy to kill Hagan?  Killing was in her genes.  She had never wanted to admit it, but at the end of the day, she was a born killer.

"You always were too hard on yourself Arty."  Wally's voice interrupted her father's attempt at trying to drive his point home.  The yellow and red blur she knew so well slammed into Sportsmaster moments later, making the man disappear into the woods before her old boyfriend stopped in front of her.  "You're going to be okay Arty.  If you could survive _him_ you can survive anything, I promise.  And besides, you and I both know that you aren't your family blondie.  I fell in love with you knowing where you came from, and I didn't care.  Now you get back up and don't think of yourself as another in the line of Crock criminals.  You're a lot more than that Arty.  You always will be, and I always loved you for it.  Now, WAKE UP ARTY!"

Artemis's eyes flew open and she jerked her head to where Wally had been standing in her makeshift camp, only to realize he had never been there, not really.  He had been dead for two months.  "It was just a stupid nightmare...but at least I got to see him again."  The tears she could feel falling down her face she chose to ignore as she let her gaze linger on the dying fire in front of her.  Wally's presence in her dream had been needed though as Artemis held onto the hope she was far more than her family name.

With no idea of where she was going, Artemis started east.  The road she had spied at the edge of the forest seemed as good a place as any to start her journey.  With her two daggers tucked in her belt after both had received a thorough cleaning on the wolf pelt she had left behind, Artemis started on her way.  She had made it a point to pack whatever meat she was able to salvage off of the two wolves and Hagan.  _At least I have something to keep me going.  Now I just need water and I'd be set._   She wasn't sure she could climb another tree again, not with her side still hurting.  With the chance of opening it up again, Artemis didn't want to take the risk.

While she had found a leather water bag on Hagan's corpse, it was empty, and Artemis didn't want to chance another fire so she could melt down snow, not after the last time she had started a fire.  If she didn't find suitable shelter however, she wouldn't have a choice in the matter.  Not if she wanted to live through the night anyway.  One night in this frozen land had been pushing it as it were.  On the plus side, the warm clothes she had gotten from Hagan would help, but Artemis didn't want to rely on her luck.

 _I already got stabbed, I'd say my luck is pretty much used up right about now._   With that thought in mind, Artemis was glad the edge of the forest came into sight at last as she continued to press ever eastward.  The trees gave way to wide open country and gently rolling hills covered in green grass and snow.  Unbeknownst to her, the current season was considered a mild winter, and while it was slightly warmer than she'd have imagined, there were still a great many snow mounds and the like scattered about the land.  By the time she crested the hill she had aimed towards, the sun was setting once again and it was getting noticeably colder.

The dirt road she had just seen on the edge of the woods came into sight at least, but there was a castle just at the edge of her vision that she could make out overlooking the land on its own enormous hill.  It was as good a place as any to head toward she supposed.  She doubted whoever owned the place would let her in, but she had to try right?  Then she remembered what Hagan had said, that someone called Eddard Stark and his family owned these lands.  If what he had said was true, then chances were, they might just be willing to let her stay around long enough to get her bearings.

Unfortunately for her, there was no way she could make it before night fell again.  There was a more pressing concern however.  Setting up camp for the night, Artemis pulled back the bandage she had made from the leather strips, and saw her fears were coming true.  With no way to clean the wound out before she had sealed it shut, there was already a dark red tinge around the stab mark that she knew would turn into red streaks before too long.  "Great, just fucking great!"  Artemis shouted as she beat her fist against the ground, which only gave her a sore fist for her trouble.  She'd have to get some rest now, and hope that the wound wouldn't turn gangrene before she was able to get proper help.

When morning came around, Artemis knew her time was running out as she woke up with a fever and upon examining the wound, saw that the red streaks had started to spread outward like a spider's web.  She'd be lucky if she died out here before the infection reached her heart.  _Okay...just calm down and get moving.  With a little bit of luck, I should be able to get to that town in five hours.  Hopefully._ With a muffled gasp of pain, Artemis got to her feet and began walking as fast as she could force herself to.

She had been on the march only two hours before delirium started to set in.  Hallucinations assaulted her almost every step of the way.  Lawrence Crock was at the center of most of them.  He casually walked beside her, and like always when he was on a winning streak, Sportsmaster was chatty.  "At least you haven't fallen on the side of the road baby girl.  Your mother would be so proud you haven't given up the ghost yet, but me?  You got sloppy and got yourself shived not a day in this weird place.  Why don't you just quit and take a nice dirt nap?  Like I know you're going to, any minute now.  Disappointing as always baby girl."

"Go...to Hell!"  Artemis growled, defiance etched almost permanently on her face as she trudged onward, one shambling step at a time.  As feverish as she was, the archer took a swing at the mental image of her father.  Tears started to stream down her cheeks moments later as she found herself slumped on the ground in defeat.

"You aren't dying here Arty."  Oliver Queen's voice reached her ears as the man himself stood over his protege, one of his rare warm smiles on his goateed face as he held out his hand to her.  "Come on, I know you're stronger than this. Just take it one step at a time, take my hand Arty."  Despite the fact she knew the image of her mentor, who she considered to be the father figure she had needed far more than the one she actually had, wasn't real, Artemis didn't care as she 'grabbed' ahold of Ollie's hand and forced herself up once more.  "There's the stubborn Artemis I know.  Help is close, you just have to go a little further and you'll be alright.  Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"  Despite the pain and the sickness that was rendering her almost immobile, Artemis managed a smirk at the offended look Oliver shot her.  "Thanks Ollie."  Artemis was able to take a small amount of comfort, having Ollie 'walking' beside her in his full Green Arrow costume.  It was how she preferred to remember him, as the hero that had gotten her away from the life she would have otherwise been trapped in.

Even with her mind conjuring up an incentive to keep putting one foot in front of the other, Artemis felt herself falling to the ground once again less than an hour later.  "Dammit...I'm sorry Ollie, I couldn't do it."

"You did great Arty, I wouldn't have made it this far."  A smug look appeared on Artemis's sweat covered face.  "That's my girl."  Her mentor's image smiled before slowly fading away.

A soft whisper barely emerged from her dry, quivering lips.  "Ollie...  Don't go, please don't leave me alone..."  Knowing it was a useless gesture, it didn't stop her from trying to reach out to him even as he faded completely from her sight.  When Oliver was gone, Artemis couldn't stop her grey eyes from closing any longer as she slipped into a fevered sleep.

"My Lord Stark, there's someone here!"  She didn't know how long she had been out, only that there were people around her on horseback.  Her vision was blurry and her mind was sluggish at best, but she could swear one of the men in her line of sight had long white whiskers on either side of his face.  Upon seeing her eyes were open, the old man almost fell out of the saddle in shock.  "By the old gods and the new, she's still alive!"

"She's deathly ill and yet she wears the murderous bastard Hagan's clothing.  Perhaps she did us a favor?  It would explain why she's in such bad shape."  She hadn't heard the young man approach until she felt her head being gently lifted off of the ground.  She was far too weak to protest, but when she felt the first trickle of water touch her lips, resistance was the last thing on her mind.  It wasn't until the water bag was pulled away did her eyes fall on Robb Stark's face.  "You're among friends.  Who are you?"

Even as Artemis managed to cough out her name, she felt another presence next to her before hands gently lifted her clothes out of the way to get a look at her wound. When he pulled the leather strips away, the look on Eddard's face was grave.  "She's burned this closed, but it hasn't stopped the infection.  We need to hurry back if she is to have any chance."

"We are to give up the chase for Hagan then my Lord?"  Ser Rodrik hadn't expected that, but neither had they expected to see a girl in the middle of the field with a wound sealed shut by fire and steel.  Pulling at his whiskers, Ser Rodrik wondered what would come next, as did most of the Stark men that had come along for the hunt for Hagan's head.

Eddard Stark had no intention of leaving Hagan to run free, but he had more pressing matters right at his feet.  "Go on without us.  Ser Cassel, my son and I shall see to the girl's well being."  A quiet murmuring caught Eddard's attention as he realized the injured young woman was trying to speak again.  "Easy now, save your strength, Artemis is it?"  When she stubbornly gave him a weak gesture to come closer, he immediately did so. A slight grin graced the usually stern man's face as he listened to her soft whisper.  The Lord of Winterfell quickly got to his feet, gently lifting the young girl tightly in his arms.  "Rodrik, take two men with you and ride west until you come upon a rather large tree. I believe you will find whatever is left of Hagan there, if the wolves haven't ripped his corpse to shreds already."

Artemis managed to stay conscious long enough to notice Robb's impressed expression as he hovered over her, before she gave into her utter exhaustion.  "So I was right then?  Let's get moving father, it would be impolite to have our guest die after saving us a bit of trouble.  Besides, from the look in her eyes, I'd bet she has an interesting tale to tell us."

They had no idea just how interesting, especially when they'd find out that the disturbance over the Wolfwood and the stranger were connected.  For now however, they needed to get the injured young woman back to Winterfell.  A litter was hastily created with what blankets they had brought with them and tied together behind two of their horses before they were ready to leave, an unconscious Artemis secured in the center of the makeshift litter.  It wouldn't be the most comfortable ride, but she'd get to their destination all the same.  Whether she survived was another story.

Slipping in and out of consciousness over the course of three days, and most of another, Artemis saw only flashes of faces both familiar and strange to her.  Wally, Ollie, her dad, her sister, even her mother appeared before her eyes at some point or another.  They never lingered for long however, save to give her words of encouragement and pushing her to live, or offer more torment in her father's case.  Jade always had something to say about it later when she appeared again as she always did after her father had gone.  One of the more memorable comments Artemis could dredge up had gotten a weak smile from the young Crock.  "And you wonder why I ran away when I did.  He is a walking, talking asshole, even in your subconscious mind he never stops running that mouth of his."

"Why did you leave me there?  You knew what he did to us...what he'd do to me."  Artemis was still mildly delirious and hadn't noticed Robb enter the small room they had set aside for her.

"I make it a point never to leave people in need."  A dark frown settled on the eldest Stark's face as he pondered the rest of what she'd mumbled.  "Who did what to you?"  He had the eerie feeling he wouldn't like the answer, provided he got one there and now.

Perched on the foot of the bed like an oversized crow, Cheshire shrugged as the cat mask dropped over her face.  Imagined or not, Artemis knew that Jade was just as elusive as she was when it came to honest answers.  "Oh...I _like_ him. Just look at the fire in those big pretty eyes.  Doesn't even know you and I think he'd tear dad apart if he found out half of what he put us through."  Hopping gracefully off of the bed, Jade wandered to the window and prepared to jump out of the room, but she could feel her sister's eyes on the back of her head.  With a sigh, she looked over and looked to the floor briefly.  "If you make it back Artemis, I'll tell you.  Until then, live, and do what I couldn't.  Escape."

"Don't...don't go.  _Please._ "  Jade had already fallen backward out of the window, but Artemis didn't need to see her glide away to know that her sister would land on her feet as she always did.  In that regard, Cheshire lived up to her name.

Robb couldn't help feeling utterly confused as he looked to the window and saw nothing.  "I don't plan on going anywhere, I'll stay as long as you like."  _As long as I'm able at least._ Winterfell might be run by his father, but he was the eldest of the Stark children, and that meant he had duties he had to attend to everyday.  Even so, Robb had learned long ago that a man's word was more precious than any amount of gold.

Fever speak as it was, Robb wasn't about to let her die of thirst.  Besides, Maester Luwin had given her a good chance of survival after the red streaks had started to slowly disappear on the second day.  "Here, take some water at least.  You look better than when you first arrived, thank the old gods.  You'll be having to put up with me for quite awhile."  Robb couldn't keep the grin off his face as he poured a cup for her and leaned over the bedridden woman.  It wasn't until he felt his dagger from his belt being pulled out of its sheath that he realized she wasn't as helpless as he thought.

Artemis was fast, even with her senses muddled by whatever medicine they had been pouring down her throat and the lingering effect of her sickness.  Her body was a blur as she got behind Robb with his blade at his throat moments later.  Her strength hadn't fully returned, but she had more than enough to keep the young man in place with little effort as she grabbed a fistful of his hair.  "Who, where, and why?  You have three seconds to answer me before I give you a new smile."  Robb was a little confused by her strange speech, but he got the message well enough as he surprisingly kept his wits about him and didn't try to fight her.

 _Even bedridden for almost four days, she is surprisingly strong and clever.  I very much doubt I could have stopped her even if I had had more warning._ A soft knock on the door only added to Robb's less than happy state.  _Oh no. Please let it be anyone but-_

"Robb, how's the girl doing?  I thought I heard...oh, I see you're awake."  Opening the door revealed the truth of the current situation to the head of the Stark household.  If he was at all phased by the young naked woman holding a dagger to his son's throat, he didn't show it.  "Good to see you're definitely on the mend.  Robb?  I trust you were a gentleman?"

Artemis wasn't sure what was stranger; the fact that the older man hadn't yelled for help, or the fact that he still seemed more concerned for her than his son.  As for Robb, his cheeks were as red as they could get given his current situation even as the girl behind him jerked his head a little to the side to emphasize her threat.  "Just stay back, I don't want to hurt him, but I will if I have to."

"If I believed that, I'd be begging your mercy for his life by now Artemis."  Something in the older man's eyes stopped her from moving as he slowly walked towards her and gently removed the dagger from her hand.  Robb, despite himself, managed to walk towards his father's side even as he rubbed at his throat where the knife had been closest, his heart in the same place until he started to calm down.  "Lose something?"  Robb couldn't bring himself to look at the wry grin that was no doubt plastered over his father's face, as the blade's hilt was slapped into his hand.  Eddard continued, even as Artemis draped the blanket that had been on the bed over her shoulders in an effort to cover herself as best she could.  "I do apologize if he startled you, I'm sure that was not his intent."

The frightened look in her eyes was more than enough to make Robb forget about the fact Artemis could have killed him moments earlier.  He held a hand out to her in a calming gesture as she started to head towards the only window.  "That is not a way you'd like to go, I can assure you.  It's a bit of a long drop."

"Maybe for you, but who said anything about falling?"  Despite her words, Artemis wasn't strong enough for a climb out of the wall window, even if she didn't give a crap if she had to do it naked.  Modesty had gone out the window after playing the part of an elite assassin in Black Manta's organization.  Cramped quarters on a sub tended to do that.

"Ah, I wondered where you two had wandered off to, not that I'm very surprised.  Get out.  The both of you.  Can't you see the poor thing is shaking like a leaf?  Two men standing over her probably isn't that comforting right now."  Catelyn Stark proclaimed, as she soon joined her husband and eldest son, who were wise enough not to linger with the matriarch pushing them out the door.  Artemis couldn't suppress the small smile on her face even as her legs gave out on her.  She was quickly caught in a surprisingly strong set of arms and gently placed back on the bed.  "You would think after five children that that man would be smarter."  Even in her weakened state, Artemis didn't miss the playful smirk on the older woman's face.

Any thoughts of escape, or even attempting to keep this woman from doting on her, quickly left Artemis's mind as she was forced to give into her exhaustion.  The blanket was tucked around her and another soon joined it.  The whole affair reminded Artemis far too much of her own mother that probably thought she was dead, again.  "I haven't been tucked into bed in a very long time.  Just asking...why am I naked?  Some clothes would be nice."

"After your fever has broken, I will be more than happy to see that you get some proper attire.  For now though, _you will stay in that bed_.  Do I make myself clear young lady?"  Again Artemis had to smirk at the scowl that was on Catelyn's kind face as the young archer nodded her understanding.  Catelyn sat herself down in a nearby wooden chair that was covered in a simple blanket and cushion.  "Now that that's settled, I've heard that we have you to thank for Hagan's death."  She reached over and soaked a piece of cloth in a nearby bowl before placing it on Artemis's forehead.  At least the girl was taking her order not to leave her bed seriously.  At the uncomfortable look on the blonde's face however, Catelyn cocked her head to the side in curiosity, unaware that he had been the first man she had ever killed.

"Well, it was better than the alternative."  Artemis shivered from more than just her fever at the thought of what the man would have done to her, had he been given the chance.  The fact he hadn't immediately slit her throat when he had had the chance hadn't escaped the archer's notice, which meant he had wanted her alive for something.  She had no doubt that it wouldn't have been good, whatever Hagan had had planned at the time.  "I'm going to take a guess and say that your people didn't plan to take him alive."

"We aren't very lenient to murderers and rapists in Winterfell.  Especially not to a man that was both.  Hagan had already been caught once, but he escaped my husband's justice. I'll have you know my Ned sleeps far better at night thanks to you.  He takes his duty to protect the people of his lands seriously, and the idea of _that man_ hurting anymore of them troubled him deeply."

While she still didn't feel comfortable with the idea of slaying a man, even one as vile as Hagan had proven to be, Artemis could tell the gratitude on Catelyn's face was genuine.  "I was just in the right place, at the wrong time.  Guess I shouldn't bother feeling guilty for getting rid of him then."

"No, you should not.  Get some rest now, I'll be back to check on you shortly.  Besides, your bowl needs another block of ice, and I can think of at least two men perfect for the task of replacing it."  The playful and teasing smile on the woman's face was back in force, and Artemis could only shake her head in amusement at the older woman as she stood up from her chair.  Before she left however, Catelyn looked over to the bed.  "Thank you for not depriving me of one of my sons, no doubt afraid as you were."  The Lady Stark paused for a moment as a thought occurred to her.  "You may be truthful with me, Artemis isn't it? If he acted in a manner any less than-"

"He just startled me was all."  Artemis was quick to interrupt, feeling more than a little ashamed of her actions despite the circumstances that had forced her hand.  "Besides, as your son can tell you himself, I can take care of myself just fine.  He didn't even know he was in trouble until I was behind him and putting his knife against his neck.  I...never had any intention of using it."

"Good."  With that simple, curt answer Catelyn turned and closed the door behind her.  She had heard the rumors about the stranger right from her lord husband's mouth, that Artemis had the marks of a warrior trained and tested.  Calluses on her hands, scars on her body, and if they doubted those clues, all they had to do was look to Robb and the near brush he had just had.  Dangerous as she was physically, Catelyn and Eddard both had come to the same conclusion, that Artemis was no threat to them unless provoked as she had been, and even then she was loath to take a life.  A mother's intuition was rarely wrong, and Catelyn had faith that it wasn't wrong now.

**Present Day**

"Artemis."  Shaking her head, only then realizing she had allowed her mind to wander back to when she had first arrived in the area. Robb's face had been just as welcome then as it was now as he rode beside her to what was soon to be an execution field.  "Drifting off behind the reigns isn't the best idea.  Are you alright?"  Despite the humor that she could see on the young man's face, the worry in his eyes was of far more interest to the archer as she sighed but nodded.

He knew better than to press her for answers, and so he rode in silence until Artemis gave him something to respond to.  "I guess this whole thing got to me more than I thought Robb.  I know the laws of the land thanks to Maester Luwin and your folks, but I was never a fan of the death sentence back home." It wasn't what was truly on her mind, but it was part of the issue.  Robb wasn't fooled, but he went along with it for now.

"Because of how you were raised, if what you can call what your father put you through as such?"  Artemis never got used to seeing the shift from the stern faced Lord Robb Stark he was showing her now, and the smiling young man he had been moments ago.  It was just one of the many things she found painfully attractive about the eldest Stark son.  Even the young Lord Stark was a kind man however, and he displayed his gentler nature as his hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed it.  "I know you know the reason why it must be done, but in these times, an oath breaker and deserter is a danger we can ill afford to allow to roam free."

Not so long ago, Artemis would have pulled away as soon as she felt his hand on her arm, but she drew strength from the contact.  The rumors that circulated about them could go to Hell for all Artemis cared however, as she placed her hand on his.  She knew there was no way that it could ever be more than this anyway.  Robb was supposed to marry some Lady of high standing, just as Eddard Stark had married Catelyn Tully long before she had ever dropped in.  That didn't mean she had to like it.

Besides the obvious lost love she had weighing her down, two things stopped Artemis from saying anything.  The first was the simple fact that despite her acceptance into the Stark guard and their lives in general, she was still the strange outsider.  Theon was quick to remind her and she was quicker to knock sense into his iron skull.  There were others who were mostly kinder about it, but they still made it a point to say it anyway.

The second reason was that Artemis refused to upset or outright anger Ned, not in such a selfish fashion at least.  She was, and always would be, honest with him, even if it did rock the boat to do so.  But when it came to her heart and those she deemed able to trust without question, she kept her own counsel even if it made her miserable to do so.  As long as she kept those feelings for the eldest son a secret, Artemis figured everyone would be better off.

If she thought she was fooling anyone though, she was sadly mistaken.

As much as Theon disapproved of her less than ladylike ways, even he kept his mouth shut as Robb and Artemis rode by to catch up with Ned and the rest of his entourage.  Jon Snow marked their passing a little less quietly however.  "Two years and you'd think they had known each other all their lives, the way they act around the other.  It's almost strange to me, seeing them together."

"You really don't see it do you?  The little tart just wants a good fuck from your dear half-brother.  Maybe he'll let you have her when he's done?"  The ever present smile on Theon's face grew wider even as Jon frowned at the man's rude comment.  "Oh... _right._ You've never wet your prick, have you Snow?"

"You'd best shut your mouth Greyjoy, before I do it for you."  Jon was quick to reply, his hand having started to fall to the sword he kept on his belt.  A bastard he might be, but Artemis had never done him harm.  Nor had she ever had an ill word for him as most everyone else did.  Jon would not stand silent as Theon insulted her at every turn.

If he saw where Jon's hand had gone, the ironborn man paid it no heed as he continued to rave.  "I take orders from Lord Stark, not you.  Maybe the daring little cunt is too dangerous for you? I'm sure I could always get the other guards to tie her up for you-"  It wasn't until he was forcibly turned in the saddle by Artemis herself that Theon realized he was in trouble, again.  He saw stars as her gloved fist slammed into his face, shattering his nose for the second time in a little as a day.

Jon Snow could barely look Artemis in the eyes as he tried to hide his obvious embarrassment.  Even as Theon fell from his saddle and wound up in the dirt face first, it took all Jon could muster not to blush crimson at what she had overheard.  "Don't worry about it Jon, there are plenty worse people I could find myself in bed with." Jon was beet red now as he continued to avoid her gaze. Thankfully, her attention turned back to Theon quickly enough.  "As for you, did you learn nothing from yesterday?  I knew your skull was made of iron but I didn't take you for a stupid idiot.  Guess I was wrong."

"He never learns."  Bran simply shook his head as he rode by them, a disgusted expression on his face. Even he knew better than to test Artemis's patience constantly, and he was the second youngest of his family.

"He will, one way or the other."  Artemis had no doubt on that as she left Theon to catch up when she took his horse's reins in hand, leading the animal away while forcing the ironblood idiot to walk along behind them.

"When you're all finished acting like children, perhaps we can see this grim business done?"  With just one stern look, Eddard Stark had silenced them all and restored peace at the same time.  He was no fool to believe that Theon would forget this latest injury to his pride, but Ned wasn't too concerned with him at that moment as they approached the field where the deserter had been tied down to the chopping block already.

Artemis had seen war on a large scale before, had faced down aliens and worse in her life, but not once had she seen a man so obviously terrified.  Not of his impending death, but of whatever he had supposedly seen beyond the infamous Wall that had caused him to flee to begin with.  She had heard Old Nan's stories, same as everyone else that listened to them, and while she found it incredibly hard to believe that they rode spiders as big as hounds, Artemis still knew enough about the legends of the white walkers to wonder if they were as terrible as they were said to be.

"They...they're coming.  Monsters... Dead, pale demons from beyond the Wall.  I saw them, the white walkers."  Eddard could clearly see that the man was obviously not in his right mind.  Even so, with reports of wildlings fleeing the North and stranger things besides, even the Lord of Winterfell briefly wondered if there might be a grain of truth to the deserter's rambling words as he prepared to deliver the killing blow.  "My Lord...please...tell my family, I'm no coward.  I saw what I saw, and would have suffered worse than this.  That's the gods honest truth."  Tied down as he was, the deserter was comforted by Ned's silent nod to do as he asked.

"You have sworn an oath to the Night's Watch, and broken it.  The punishment for this crime is death. I hereby carry out that sentence."  With one quick, clean stroke Eddard Stark beheaded the man with his massive longsword.

Artemis saw Bran flinch out of the corner of her eye and wondered, yet again, why Ned had insisted on bringing him this time.  _This world is violent enough as it is.  Why couldn't he have let the kid keep some of his innocence a little while longer?_ She realized a moment later how truly naive that thought was, as Bran's father walked over to his son and quietly spoke with him.  ' _The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword' speech...  I guess he had to hear it sooner or later._ She knew in her heart that Ollie lived by a similar code, even if she hadn't agreed with him at times.

The ride back to Winterfell was too quiet for Artemis's liking, but even she couldn't think of much to say after witnessing the execution.  She was sure she wasn't the only one that was curious about what the man had been ranting and raving about up until his head hit the dirt.  It wasn't until they rode out to the edge of the Wolfwood on their return trip that they had reason to talk again when their company came across the corpses of a couple of wild animals.

Theon, even with his nose freshly broken only a couple hours before, was the first to open his mouth.  "It's a freak."  It was one of the biggest wolves any of them had ever seen, save for perhaps Artemis herself since she remembered a giant white wolf back home that had taken an instant liking to Superboy.

Eddard knew better as he pulled the antler out of the wolf's throat before casting it aside.  "It's a direwolf."  It didn't take them long to discover that the great beast had been heavy with pups which had had to chew their way to freedom from their mother.

"I know it's a direwolf..."  Theon rolled his eyes as he sarcastically continued.  "I meant that little black runt of her's. Should we kill the litter?  Best to keep them from the livestock.  They'll never survive without their mother anyway."  He even drew his dagger, planning to do the deed himself as he reached for the nearest of the lot.

"No!"  Bran was quick to intervene, having already picked up one of the pups before anyone could say another word.  "Please father."  Maybe Theon _was_ starting to learn as he refrained from pushing the boy away.  Getting hit in the face twice in one day was his limit.

Jon had caught the look Theon had thrown at Artemis when he had pointed out the black pup that had crawled its way to her horse before the woman hopped down and landed lightly in front of the black bundle of fur.  Artemis gently lifted the small wolf by the scruff of its neck and looked it in the face, curiosity far outweighing anything else.  "Lord Stark, there are six pups here, one for each of the Stark children and mayhaps even for her."  Jon was quick to point out, unaware of a seventh just yet.  "The direwolf is a sigil of your house.  We were meant to have them."

Eddard only needed a moment to consider his course.  "You will feed them yourselves, train them yourselves, and if they die, you will bury them yourselves."  No one was willing to refute Eddard's stern words even if it was what they had wanted in a sense.  Artemis didn't know the first thing about raising a normal dog, let alone a wolf that would grow to be larger than her, but she wasn't alone in that boat she was sure.  She almost opened her mouth to complain, but it was the amused look in Eddard's eyes, rather than his stern countenance, that stopped her.  _Two years and he knows me better than I know myself sometimes._   She had the feeling Ned had played her, but she wasn't upset over it as she tucked the wolf under her fur cloak and hopped back onto her horse.

"Well look at this!  The runt of the litter, and I thought the freak was small.  This one's yours Snow."  Theon was back to smirking like a loon as Snow looked back and saw a small white bundle of fur trying to catch up with the bastard.  Going back to claim his own direwolf, Jon gently lifted the yipping ball of fur from the ground.  "A bastard for a bastard, who would have thought."  Left behind by its litter mates, it was no surprise Theon had thought of the insult as quickly as he had. Even so, Jon didn't respond to the man's attempt at 'humor' as he followed Artemis's example.

Artemis was distracted from staring at the small bundle of black fur clutched against her as they started riding once again.  "What will you name her?"  She wasn't surprised to see it was Jon's horse striding alongside hers.

"I don't know...I think maybe...Cheshire."  The grey eyes and the black fur reminded the archer of her sister, Jade, also known as Cheshire.  The name seemed to fit as the young pup looked up at her new mother and licked the bottom of her chin, earning an amused giggle from Artemis for her trouble.  "Yep, definitely Cheshire."

"The name fits.  And I don't even know what it means."  Snow looked down to his own pup, obviously wondering what a good name for the runt might be.

"Ghost."  Artemis said without needing to hear his mind to know what Jon was having trouble with.  "I think it fits.  As for what Cheshire means...maybe I'll tell you someday."

"I'll hold you to that promise."  Jon replied, earning a smirk from the blonde as she rode off ahead of him and Theon.  He looked to his right and saw that Robb was staring at them oddly for a moment, but the strange look on the eldest Stark's face disappeared when he realized he was being observed.  _Is there truth to Theon's mutterings about them?  Perhaps I should tell him I have no true feelings for her, even if I would be lying._   The truth of the matter was that she was a little too headstrong for his liking, but Jon like most people, couldn't help but admire the stranger anyway.  Whatever the case, he had no intention of getting between whatever budding romance there might be between her and Robb.

"Ghost...it's a fine name." Robb said, before quickly riding on ahead to catch up with Artemis.  Only Eddard saw the confusion behind his son's eyes when he looked back just in time to see him look towards the archer in their group when he caught up with her.  As much as it pained him to admit it, Robb and Artemis were a good fit together, but Starks put their honor and duty first.  In their world, true love rarely won out. War and family commitments didn't allow it, something he knew all too well even if he was happily married to Catelyn now. Love had come later for them however.

And winter was coming.

_Closing Notes; Vergil1989; Flashbacks are also coming. This chapter is a little shorter than I thought it'd be, but all in all, I thought it shaped up pretty good. Archer and myself have plans to do flashback sequences for all of the so far revealed members of the team, meaning you'll most likely get to see Tyrion in all of his lecherous habits when two beautiful women fall in his lap lol. Joking aside, this is just the beginning._

_Archer83; Yup, this is just the beginning of their adventure in Westeros. Oh the places they will see, oh the people they will see killed...or get to kill. We aren't exactly planning on making Game of Thrones child friendly. We might even be more sadistic than HBO, who knows._

_Vergil1989; I think someone's hoping that a certain spoiled boy prince gets the axe lol. Joking aside, Archer is right, soon enough things are bound to get bad. We are merely setting up the stage before chaos reigns and Winter has come again. 'Insert evil laughter here.' In all seriousness, we hope that you have enjoyed this new if albeit late chapter to the unfolding Song of the Seven Kingdoms. D Thoughtful feedback is most welcome._


	3. Between Dragons and Men

_Author's Note; This chapter has gone through several revisions because they were absolute crap in my opinion. So hopefully this one works for everyone, myself included. D_

**Two years earlier.**

Klarion had had to fight Conner for all of two minutes. Magic against brute strength. Magic always won in such confrontations, but the clone had made the chaos mage work for his victory. The noise had alerted some of the team, but it hadn't mattered by then because Conner had already been banished, but more than that, Klarion had cast some kind of spell on him first. The effect had been reduced since part of the spell had been blocked by Blue Beetle, but the chaos fire wall had still slammed into Conner despite the alien armored youth's attempt to protect him.

Waking up in the middle of a secluded alley, Conner groaned and shook his head as the remaining dizziness and confusion disappeared. "I'm going to rip you apart Klarion!" Slamming his fist into the wall, Conner was stunned to see that his hand came away with fresh bruises. "What? Did he...weaken me?" Looking at his bruised knuckles, Conner shook his head and was reassured that his strength was still his from the crater he had created in the stone wall next to him. The building was empty, but the noise had drawn unwanted attention from the shouts and cries from the local guards no doubt. Bending his knees, Conner launched himself out of the alley and swung up onto the nearby roof. He didn't stick around to look back to see what the guards thought of the crater and the cracked stone he had left behind, preferring to remain hidden until he figured out where the Hell he had wound up.

One of the first lessons he had taken away from his friends and their mentors, his own included, was that gathering information was a sure way to survive in a situation like this. There was another lesson though that he had learned from Dick, and that was how to blend in with the locals. It hadn't taken him long to see that his black t-shirt with its giant red S on the front and his blue jeans made him stand out like a sore thumb. Looking down at the bustling streets, the people were a multitude of armor and robes, ranging from steel and leather, to simple linen and silk if his superior vision was to be believed. Anyone that looked able to fight also carried an equally impressive range of melee weapons, as well as hand crossbows and long bows. _Did I walk into one of those Medieval Fairs or something?_ Conner knew his luck wasn't that good, but he had to hope Klarion's spell had simply been a teleportation one and not something else. Something else was not something Conner wanted to consider as he walked or jumped across the rooftops, one ear focused on the conversations taking place below him.

Most of it was simple gossip, but gossip was revealing in its own way. It told you a great deal about the people in any given place, what they thought was important and what was simply part of the rumor mill that existed no matter where you were. It helped narrow down Conner's suspicions just by looking around since out of all the cities he had been shown by those involved with his telepathic training and education, the one he was currently in didn't match anything he had been exposed to. Not only that, but his time with the team had allowed Conner to see more of their world, and again, none of his travels matched anything he was seeing now.

With a sigh, Conner rubbed at his temples in exhaustion and exasperation, knowing in his heart that he was 'feeling the mode' as Bart would say. The people below sounded foreign to his ears, even though he could understand every word since they spoke English for the most part. There were a few languages shouted between them that he didn't recognize, but overall Conner understood just from the few minutes he had observed his surroundings, that he wasn't on his own dimension. _Okay, if Klarion sent me here, chances are he sent anyone else he could find to this world. I just have to survive until I can find them._

While it wasn't much to go on, it was enough as Conner continued his exploration of the city. Pentos, one of the Free Cities if the vendors that lined the market streets were to be believed, was apparently where he was. That gave him a point of reference, all he needed now was a map or a computer terminal, but with what he had seen already, Conner wasn't holding his breath. The entire city was decidedly low tech, and that was being generous. The smell alone would have been enough to knock him on his ass, if not for his ability to focus his senses to the point that the smell of shit and body odor was at normal human levels. It was still overpowering, even from his perch, but there was a breeze and the sun was high in the sky. The bruises on his hand were well on their way to disappearing, thanks to the sun's radiation, but the fact he had bruises just from punching a wall was worrying.

 _That spell Klarion hit me and BB with, was it some kind of curse? Some kind of spell to make us weaker? I hate to think what might have happened to me if I had taken the full force of that blast. I just hope Jaime's alright, wherever he is._ With a sigh, Conner found another alley that had a large collection of clothes hanging from the open windows on both sides, and jumped down to the ground. He had grabbed a handful of the drying clothes on his way down and found a secluded corner to change into something else. Folding his old clothes into as small a bundle as he could, Conner looked around until he found a pack of some sort, made of leather. Shoving them away, the kryptonian clone slung the leather pack onto his back before disappearing into the crowds. _Hopefully I can find a warm bed and some food. Barring that, at least some food._

His first three days in Pentos were completely and utterly uneventful, but the information he had gathered was something he filed away to be examined and taken apart as he required. What he had learned had confirmed his suspicions as he ate a nearly ripened bushel of apples he had bought after taking a job as a bodyguard for one of the local merchants. The man had been robbed several times in the past, and Conner had taken the thieves down with minimal effort when they had made the mistake of trying to hit the merchant again. Considering the man dealt in rare gems, or so he claimed, Conner hadn't found it surprising the thieves in question had been so eager for his valuables.

Just as he was about to take another bite of the apple in his hand, Conner's ears perked up when he heard something of interest. "Seven Hells take you peasant! Do you know who I am?!"

"A stupid little cunt that's about to lose a hand if you don't move along, _Beggar Prince_." That was a name he had heard mentioned amidst the countless other rumors and stories thrown around the city. The few stories he had heard ranged from outlandish to ridiculous, but they all had one thing in common. The 'Beggar Prince' was looking for a way to raise an army and reclaim his throne, and he had a young sister. He didn't much care if they were supposedly royalty forced into exile or not, Conner only knew that from the sound of it, Viserys Targaryen would be dead if he kept up his arrogant behavior.

Conner hopped away from the stone wall he had been leaning against and walked towards the disturbance, just in time to see the silver haired brat back away from the merchant he had been arguing with. "I didn't want to buy corrupted meat anyway. Move!" Viserys shouted as he shoved another man out of his way. "Come Dany. Dany?" Conner looked over the would be King's shoulder as he spun around in the stone street, his worry increasing as rapidly as his heart rate. "Dany?! Where is she you stupid brute?!" Grabbing one of the few guards Conner had identified since laying eyes on Viserys, the man tried to stutter out an answer before a shrill scream drew the Prince's gaze to the source. Conner was way ahead of him.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Viserys could only follow the black haired young man's wake. "Are you going to stand there or save your sister?!" Conner shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed a sword belt from a passing mercenary, ignoring the sound of breaking bone as the man fell to the ground from the force of the clone's grab. While he didn't need a sword to kill a man if it came to it, Conner felt better to have options open to him. Another of Richard's lessons, but one he was too focused on catching up with the men that had kidnapped the silver haired girl. Her screams had since grown closer as he closed the gap, Viserys hot on his heels.

"Who are you boy?!"

"Stop talking and save your breath for fighting!" Conner shouted back, barely winded as he rounded a corner and took a shield to the face. To Viserys's immense surprise and shock, the simple steel shield shattered while Conner's face only suffered minimal damage from the vicious attack. The blow that should have dropped him to the ground, holding a battered face, only angered him as he grabbed the offending sword arm and put another hand around the man's throat. Bodily lifting him off the ground, Conner used the man as a human shield as an arrow slammed into his back. The assassin was dead, his sword fell from his hand, but Conner wasn't done with him as he threw the man into three more of the group, scattering them across the street. It was all the opening Viserys needed as he charged in, sword leading.

Viserys was good with his blade, and he fought like a man possessed as he carved a path through the men Conner had scattered with the body of their ally. Conner had crushed tanks with his bare hands, a few men with swords and bows were nothing, and he proved that as he followed the boy king, his fists leaving anything they hit broken on the ground, never to rise again. The last man standing made the fatal mistake of holding a dagger to Dany's throat, but Conner countered the hostage taker's attempt to bargain by throwing his borrowed sword, impaling the man to the stone wall behind him at neck level. The stunned look on his face said he had never expected such a move.

The ten men that had made the mistake of taking Daenerys were soon utterly destroyed between him and Viserys. Speaking of the bastard, Conner turned his head to see that he was panting heavily from the fight, while the young girl cowered in a corner of the street, utterly terrified. "Hey, you alright? Did they hurt you?" When the young blonde looked up, he wasn't surprised when she looked for Viserys before meeting his gaze and shaking her head rapidly.

"N-no. I'm alright." Before he could say anything else, Dany ran towards her brother.

Viserys hugged her tightly to his chest, ignoring the broken men around him as well as the blood on his person. Looking his way, Conner met the young man's gaze without fear, and wasn't surprised when the would be King pointed his sword at him next. "Who and what are you? Are you a giant perhaps, shrunk down but no less powerful? A man possessed by some demon? Lay a hand on me and I'll have it taken off."

"I'd love to see you try." Ignoring the guards that came towards them as he approached the two remaining Targaryens, Conner stood eye to eye with the man. When he looked down to Dany, he was taken aback that she looked up at him for a moment before shying away. "As for who I am, my name is Conner Kent. I'm not your enemy, and I couldn't stand by while someone threatened your lives." That was a half truth, but it was the right thing to say as Viserys grinned haughtily and sheathed his sword.

"Then perhaps you'd like to be one of my guards Conner Kent. You're a great deal more useful than these inbred idiots." The two guards that trailed after Viserys shuffled back and forth in anger and shame but said nothing. It didn't take M'gann's telepathy for Conner to know where their loyalties lay. It sure as Hell wasn't with Viserys, he'd bet the Kent family farm on that being the truth, even if he didn't consider himself part of Clark's adoptive family.

 _Protect you? I'd rather finish what those men started._ But aloud, Conner shrugged before he said anything more. "I wasn't doing anything anyway. My last job's done, so I guess I could be persuaded to stick around."

"I think I'm going to like you." Viserys chuckled, nodding his approval of the man's seemingly mercenary nature. Nothing could have been farther from the truth, but Conner didn't plan to correct the would be King's assumptions of him.

She wasn't so easily fooled by his words. From the look she threw over her shoulder at him, Conner knew she had seen through his false flattery. _As long as I can gain her trust, I think I'll be alright playing bodyguard for her arrogant brother until I can find my friends._

**Pentos**

**The Free Cities**

**Present Day**

With the marriage ceremony over, Conner followed Viserys, Daenerys, and Magister Illyrio through his palatial estate at a slow but steady pace. While Illyrio stroked the idiot's ego by feeding him his usual lies, Conner was finding it increasingly difficult not to snap the men's necks like twigs. Illyrio might have given them shelter not even a year after Kent had dropped into Westeros, but he knew the Magister had his own reasons for sheltering Viserys and Dany. A man like him didn't accumulate the wealth he had without selling everything and his mother to the highest bidder. Conner was willing to bet Illyrio hoped that Viserys would succeed to the throne so that he could collect on the reward the next king would give him for his 'loyal service', thus making him one of the most powerful men in the Seven Kingdoms. He was taking a huge gamble on the fool, but it was one that promised to pay dividends win or lose since war on its own was a profitable business enterprise. To put it simply, Illyrio was looking to become a war profiteer, and he had the pieces in place to come out of this with quite a lot of coin.

His hatred of Viserys was simpler. Conner had never liked the man because of the way he mistreated everyone, Dany especially. While that alone was enough to make his blood boil, it was the fact that he reminded Conner of himself that really enraged him to no end. His arrogance and unwillingness to trust anyone farther than he could throw them stemmed from the same place, a belief that they weren't good enough to stand on their own two feet. Viserys had the weight of his father's legacy, the mighty Targaryen name and all that it implied, while Conner had to contend with Clark's impossibly large shadow as Superman, savior of the world he called home. Conner had begun to get past his own inferiority complex long ago, but Viserys hadn't even begun to get his house in order. To see him struggle so hard to surpass his own nature was painful to watch, but it still pissed Conner off to see Viserys go about handling his issues the way he did. _That could have been me, that's what bugs me the most._ The look that passed between him and Dany made Conner smirk briefly, since she knew where his thoughts had no doubt gone.

At least here, no one knew anything about the Justice League, but on the other hand, no one had heard of any of his friends. There had been rumors of strange red lightning over several distant lands around the same time he had arrived, but nothing reliable that Conner could have pursued beyond that. So he had waited, and hoped that someone found him eventually. Being with the Targaryen family pretty much guaranteed he'd be noticed by someone of importance, and if he knew Richard and the rest of the team as well as he hoped, they had no doubt had the same idea. Being in the center of this world's politics would help spread their reputations around, but with him so far from the seat of power, Conner wasn't so surprised that he hadn't heard a thing about the rest of the team. Luckily, that was going to change if things went as Viserys hoped they would.

As eager as he was to get home, he didn't want to do it amidst a war. And there was the part of him that wanted to stay, to build on what he had created with the Targaryens. _Well, with Dany at least._ Conner sighed and looked at Viserys's back, just as the man turned around to address his sister's comment about not wanting to marry Khal Drogo. His hand fell on his sword hilt when it looked like Viserys was going to strike her, but he backed off when Dany meekly told him she didn't know how they'd get home. Their ideas of 'home' were as different as their dreams, but only Conner knew the truth of what Dany wanted where her brother only dreamed of getting the Iron Throne back.

"We go home with an army. With Khal Drogo's army." Viserys stated with that voice of his that never held anything short of arrogant contempt for everyone around him. "I would let his whole tribe fuck you, all forty-thousand men and their horses too, if that's what it took." Thinking her successfully cowed into submission, Viserys kissed Dany's forehead in what almost looked like brotherly affection. Only Conner saw the way her right hand clenched into a tight, bloodless fist as she held it behind her back. She wasn't the only one angered by his less than kind words, but he had been slowly learning to hold his tongue.

"And what would you do with this army that won't cross the Narrow Sea?" Conner blurted out when Viserys started to turn back to Illyrio. That got the would be King's attention as Conner crossed his arms over his chest. "Isn't it true that the Dothraki fear any water their horses can't drink? So how do you plan to convince them?"

"I need an army to convince, but I am their king, _Kent_. They'll go where I _command_ them to go." How Viserys made his last name sound like cunt, Conner could never say.

Despite the insult, the clone just shook his head and laughed in derision. "Right. At least the Dothraki have some sense then, because only an army of idiots would follow you anywhere. You aren't the one marrying into their ranks, so who will they follow Viserys? You, or your sister?"

"He's right Viserys. You only made the deal, while Illyrio did everything else." If Viserys had been shocked by Conner's blatant disregard for his authority, then hearing Daenerys challenge him had him slack jawed.

"What's this dear sister? Taking the sellsword's side are we?" Viserys' stunned expression morphed into an enraged sneer. "How dare you insult the Dragon!"

"Dragon?! You're a pale, sniveling imitation of a dragon!" Conner shouted back as his blue eyes shone with his rage, knowing full well Dany would have another bruise, something to add to his massive list of 'Good Reasons to Gut Viserys', if he didn't distract her brother immediately. At least if he was hit, his injuries would vanish within a matter of minutes, if not sooner, assuming he let Viserys get a shot in at all. _And today he's not going to get that close if he tries._

As predictable as ever, Viserys did one of two things. Sometimes he tried to lash out, sometimes he made a comment and ran off with his tail between his legs while trying to keep up appearances to the contrary. Today he made the mistake of drawing his sword and charging at Conner. The kryptonian clone stepped to the side, grabbed his arm, planted his free hand on his chest, and flipped the man over so that he hit the ground hard. Viserys never knew what hit him as the air was driven from his lungs while Conner stomped on his borrowed blade, snapping the blade like a twig where his foot came down. "And now you're an imitation dragon without claws. You have no army, no hope to get the one you want across the sea, and your sister is the one they'll follow anyway. So I ask again, how do you plan to take the Iron Throne when you can't even convince people to obey you?"

"He does have a point, brother." Daenerys quietly spoke, not quite able to meet her fuming sibling's gaze. Putting a hand on Conner's arm, she nodded silently, and he stepped back, allowing Viserys to rise to his feet again. "You always say I should stand straight and tall as a woman, a child no longer. So I say to you now brother, try to lay a hand on me again, and you will not have a hand. You will have your army, but only because it is _mine_."

Only Conner could hear how rapidly Dany's heart raced in fear at defying Viserys so openly. It was a bluff, but it was a well crafted one. _I'd believe her threat, if I couldn't hear how afraid she is._

Shaking his head in disgust, Viserys spat at the ground and stormed off in an indignant huff.

Conner leaned closer in order to softly whisper in Daenerys' ear. "You even had me convinced. You sounded like a true Queen for a second there."

"I didn't feel like one, Ser Kent." She replied just as softly while Illyrio did his best to catch up with Viserys.

"Yet you stood your ground and stared him in the face without flinching. That takes true courage." Holding his hand before his face, Conner lowered his hand a moment later. "I'm stronger than any man you've ever seen, but I've still known fear. Facing that fear takes strength no one can teach you Dany. You have to experience it. And overcome it."

"What could you possibly be afraid of?" He was one of the strongest men she knew. She had seen him crush a man with his bare hands, and he admitted to feeling fear? The very concept was shocking, and Dany found she was almost afraid to know his answer, but her curiosity demanded otherwise of her.

It took Conner several seconds to answer her, but when he did, Dany could tell that it hadn't been easily admitted. "Of never seeing the old friends I have again. Of losing the new ones I've made."

_End Notes; I have Archer83 to thank for helping me to finish this chapter. I also have him to thank for helping me to get most of the next chapter done already in as little as a day. D I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as we did putting it together. Adios guys and gals!_


	4. Stark Greeting

_Author's Note; Something I forgot to say before but I'll say it now. For the longest time, RL had prevented me from getting any updates for this emotionally charged story because my real life felt like a war of its own. Now that the war's over and what's left of my family's been able to pick up the pieces, I can return to this tale with a clear head and a ready heart once more._

_As for my recent reviews, all of them have been welcome except for three from one person._ _**Anon** _ _, if you're going to leave a review, please by the Seven Hells, leave one that makes even a shred of sense! Yours I can't begin to decipher as they are and they don't seem to have anything to do with the story!_

_Reviews, favorites, and follows are always welcome, but I'm actually kind of hoping someone might throw in some fan art of the characters we've revealed thus far. I've only seen ONE Artemis pic in GoT styled garb. ONE! I'd love to have the entire YJ cast in GoT styled armor and silks, but I'll take what I can get lol._

_One last thing. I wish to thank everyone that's been so patient for another chapter after such a long absence. I truly appreciate all of the favorites, follows, and reviews you've left myself and Archer83._

**Winterfell**

**Artemis Lian Crock**

**A month after her arrival.**

The infection had lingered, but between Maester Luwin's medicines and most of the Starks willingness to stay by her bed when they could, mostly to satisfy their own curiosity, some to encourage her, Artemis's recovery had been quicker than she thought it would have been given the nature of the world she had wound up in. Despite how much it drove her nuts to be bedridden for any length of time, Artemis had learned much of this place called Westeros through Old Nan's tales, and then asking more about them later from whatever Stark happened to be around when she was conscious. The fact Old Nan had a tendency to forget or mix up certain details hadn't bothered her so much, Artemis still found the old woman's tales to be of great interest.

"So you wish to know of Winter do you? Once you are able to take a meal with me in the hall I might tell you." With a quiet laugh, Eddard Stark gently pressed on Artemis's shoulder as she attempted to sit up in the narrow bed. "Impatient as always I see."

"Um yeah. I've been stuck here for a month. I think you'd be a bit stir crazy yourself Stark." Artemis countered with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. She frowned at the curious look on Eddard's face. "Err...your...Lordship?"

"I told you before Artemis, Ned will do. But, as you've been at death's door with fever for almost a fortnight, I will forgive your offense." Ned managed his usual stern countenance for all of three seconds before he broke into a kind smile. "This time."

"I'll keep that in mind. Ned." Artemis said as an amused look filled her gray eyes. She looked away a moment later when she saw a flicker of movement by the door. "You don't have to listen at a keyhole Arya." Artemis rolled her eyes but found she wasn't annoyed with the youngest Stark daughter in the least. Arya reminded her of herself in some respects.

"How do you do that?" Arya asked as she hesitantly poked her head into the room before shutting the door behind her.

Even mildly irritated with his youngest daughter, Stark's smile stayed in place. "I apologize for your rude guest. Her curiosity knows no bounds. As does her lack of proper manners."

"In case ya forgot Ned, I don't have 'proper manners' either, so we'll get along just fine." Turning to Arya next, the twinkle in her gray eyes increased as the young girl plopped herself down on her father's lap. "As for how I knew you were at the door, I had a pretty good idea it was you or Bran since you two have the softest footsteps. And Bran doesn't use soap."

"Oh." Arya mumbled with a look of embarrassment, before her expression brightened. "Could you teach me to do that?"

"Arya, I don't think now's the time to be asking such a thi-"

"No, I won't." Both Starks looked at Artemis as if she had grown a second head, although a flash of relief appeared on Ned's face at her flat refusal. "Trust me, I didn't enjoy learning how and neither would you." While she didn't know exactly what she might have said during her bouts of delirium, Artemis knew she had said enough that they knew part of her story from some of the questions asked of her by Ned and Catelyn.

But she must have mentioned her father at least a handful of times, since Lawrence Crock was the subject of the lion's share of their delicate quarries. Artemis had no doubt that Ned wouldn't have hesitated to put Sportsmaster to the sword if ever given the chance, and she wasn't sure she would have stopped him from executing her father. He had been very careful to hide any negative feelings from her, except for one small thing. She was pretty sure he must have been picturing the man in his mind whenever she caught him chopping wood outside of her small window. He still had a few errant splinters in his fur lined cloak to show for his over zealous approach.

"Why?" Arya asked, having missed the look that passed between Artemis and her father. "I think it'd be quite useful to be able to know who's coming around a corner or behind a door."

"Because the training involved to hone her senses to that precision nearly killed her and her sister, Arya." Ned stated solemnly before Artemis could come up with a kind response to the girl's question. Artemis was surprised by the man's bluntness, but she nodded her head in reluctant agreement since it wasn't too far off the mark. "Her father…was not a kind or honorable man. He tried to forge his children into weapons of war and worse."

"I take it I talked a lot more in my sleep than I thought." Artemis didn't know how she did it, but she resisted the urge to pull her legs up to her chin and bury her head between them in shame at admitting such weakness to anyone. _Great! That means he probably knows what I am then! A murderer...just another Crock family criminal._

"Aye. I thought it better to be truthful than to deceive you." Eddard sighed as he gently stroked Arya's hair, clearly trying to show he was not upset with the small girl. "I _had_ planned to wait a time before speaking of it."

"So what's with the five star treatment then? From what I've heard, people don't take kindly to criminals around here." She had heard of at least two other criminals that had been captured and given a choice. Both times they had chosen execution over serving on the infamous Wall that was far to the North of Winterfell.

"A son has the right not to be judged for the crimes of his family." It seemed to physically pain the man to see the usual cautious suspicion reasserting itself in her grey eyes. Even Arya noticed how the blonde woman looked at them now, and Ned knew she was trying to think of something to say to fix the mess she had made of things. "Artemis, you are who you choose to be. Unless you give me a reason not to trust you, you'll be allowed to live in Winterfell. I'm sure we can find something for you to do once you're on your feet again."

Caught between a desperate need to believe in the man's good nature, and being jaded enough to know no one was really as noble as Eddard Stark acted, Artemis' temper flared. "If you expect me to be a pretty flower on the wall, you got another thing coming."

Ned laughed and shook his head at the stubborn defiance on Artemis's face. He had seen her scars when she had held Robb hostage with his own dagger. Ned wasn't foolish enough to assume that she would ever be willing to act as a 'proper lady'. _While it might be strange, having her as a guard on our walls would serve a dual purpose. It would give her a way to mingle among my people, and it will allow us to learn more about her when she isn't constantly on her guard._ Stark internally chuckled at his bad pun before he replied. "You're too much of a warrior to have your talents wasted in such a manner young Artemis. I hope that your skills are never needed, but for now I don't see a problem with you manning the castle walls."

"A month here and you want me standing watch on the walls huh? Sure that's a good idea?" Artemis countered, surprised that anyone would ask her to do such an important task as watching for intruders along the walls of any castle. Surprised and suspicious because she didn't trust anyone except for her old friends about as far as she could throw them.

"Do you plan to betray my Lord father?" Arya peered closer at the older girl, as if she was staring to her very soul.

"What? No. You only just met me though. I wouldn't trust me." A dubious sounding Artemis advised the bluntest yet of Stark's children.

Ned risked a gentle pat on the blonde's shoulder. "And that's how I know I can. You've been nothing but honest, and while you keep your past closely guarded, I can understand why from what you _have_ revealed."

"Not to mention about as blunt as a hammer to the anvil." Arya muttered just loud enough to be heard by them both.

"And damn proud of it." Artemis countered with a brief grin.

Ned's next words had her grin disappearing, replaced by a brief flash of embarrassment as he leveled his stern gaze on her next. "I would ask you to watch your tongue around my daughter, but she's already heard far worse. Mostly from her brothers and her fouled mouthed father."

That news surprised Artemis as she cocked her head to the side. "Really? I know I was out of it a lot, but I don't think I've heard you swear. I mean, not even _once_."

"Trust me, you have been fortunate not to be in my presence during such a tirade, as rare as they are." Ned replied, a noticeable twinkle in his stern gaze at the self deprecating humor.

"Bloody hell is about the worst he gets. And that's barely once or twice a year. When he doesn't think I'm around." Arya stated with what Artemis couldn't mistake for anything else but pride. Even as Ned turned his stern gaze on her, the smirk on the girl's face never faltered. "He's really quite boring to be honest."

"I'm boring am I?" Ned said with a small chuckle before he ruffled his daughter's hair.

"Trust me Arya, boring's a good thing." Artemis said with a nod of approval. "A very good thing." Boring was safe, boring was the comfort of routine, boring was family and friends who cared about you. Her life had been anything _but_ boring, but she had had a group treasured friends and at least one family member that had honestly loved and cared for her.

"I won't lie to you, Artemis. Life here in the north is harsh, but we are a proud people that look out for one another. Has Maester Luwin told you our House motto by chance?"

Artemis nodded her head before reciting the phrase that Luwin had told her when she had asked about House Stark. "Winter is coming." She hadn't needed the old Maester to tell her what it meant, or that it had several meanings, all of them dire. Hard times were coming, was the first thing that always came to her mind, but she had a feeling there had been far more to it.

"While these lands may seem cold and unforgiving to you now, Winter, Winter is-" Ned paused with a rare look of confusion as Artemis held up a hand to stop him.

"Meal in the hall first, remember?" Artemis said as her smirk reasserted itself on her face.

"Indeed, I recall that being the bargain we struck." Ned replied with a nod of his head, an honest to gods smile appearing on his face for a moment.

Artemis instantly corrected the formidable Lord of the North. "That you demanded."

"Yes." With a self deprecating smirk, Ned found himself increasingly fascinated with this strong willed young woman the more he spoke with her. When she wasn't tossing and turning in her sleep from some old nightmare or another, she was intriguing and wise beyond her years. _I always forget that she is a woman rather than a man, but her strong will is a fitting addition to Winterfell. I am just glad Walder Frey didn't find her instead. I fear his head would have been mounted above his own gates by now._ Ned didn't realize he was grinning off into space until he noticed the odd looks Artemis and his daughter were giving him.

Arya nudged Ned in the ribs before hopping off of his lap. "Don't worry, he isn't nearly this strange. Most of the time."

For the first time in her memory of him, Stark actually looked befuddled. "So boring _and_ strange then?" Artemis opted to take pity on him.

"I wasn't concerned. All of my old friends had strange habits." _You have no idea how true that is old man Ned._ Artemis chuckled and shook her head again, only then noticing that her stomach was growling. "So, when's that feast?"

"Should be ready by now." Arya said with a shrug before looking at her father, who nodded his head.

"Screw it. I'm tired of staring at the ceiling." Her eyes flicked to Ned's raised hand as she moved to sit on the side of the bed. "Either you can try to stop me again, not promising that I won't embarrass you, or you could get someone to help me out of this damn bed."

"Um...might I suggest-"

"Geez, what's that smell-" Artemis felt her cheeks warming as she realized the noticeable body odor was coming from her. "Oh."

Arya was quick to pounce on that loaded comment. "I wasn't planning to say anything, but you do kind of reek Arty."

Ned Stark's exasperated sigh said it all, as far as the young blonde archer was concerned. "Arya, you will address Artemis by her-"

Quick to recover some measure of her pride, Artemis interrupted the Lord of the North before he could finish chastising Arya. Besides, her nickname didn't sound so bad coming from the young girl, despite the innocent insult Arya had thrown her way. "Arty's fine. Some of my closest friends called me that….back home."

"I see." Ned said with a chuckle and a shake of his head before turning to Artemis again. "But if you're going to attend a feast, then we must have you looking halfway presentable."

"At least you have a nice way of saying I look like shit." Artemis made it a point to look at Arya, who blushed but giggled nervously at the playful glare the archer threw her way. "So, I take it Catelyn and a few of her gals will be up here soon then? So long as it's not Septa Mordane, I'm cool." There was no way in Hell she'd let that old ding bat within a hundred meters of her again. Not after the last time. Her unlady like ways had absolutely mortified Septa Mordane, and the old woman that usually tended to Sansa Stark had tried to verbally browbeat Artemis into submission. By the time Robb and Ned had come along, she and Mordane had been eye to eye, seconds away from tearing the other's throat out.

"Yes, I think one attempt to lead you away from your-" Stark pondered, and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "-I believe her exact words were 'path of wickedness', was enough. Wouldn't you agree?" Ned wasn't at all surprised by the blonde archer's response. In fact, he was more surprised she didn't shout out her reply given how her last encounter with the Septa had gone.

"Hell yes." Her enthusiasm was very much not in doubt.

Without missing a beat, Ned continued onto a far less volatile subject, his smile losing none of its warmth. "And you are quite correct, my wife will no doubt dote on you to the point of madness. I only ask that you _try_ to humor her, while suffering her womanly smothering."

"Your wife's a good woman, so I'll be nice. This time." Artemis said, mimicking Ned's own stern tone. Arya giggled again, her own gray eyes alight with the strange woman's attempt to copy her father's stern tone.

"You have my thanks. Come Arya." With that, Eddard rose from his chair with his daughter two steps behind him.

"See you soon Arty." Arya shot over her shoulder, a grin on her face that reached her ears until the door shut behind her.

Artemis could only shake her head at the two of them, never growing tired of their company even if they came from two different worlds, literally and otherwise. _Just hope I can live up to their standards until I can find my old team._ Ignoring the guilt associated with why she was so readily accepted among them, overall, Artemis sat up on the side of the bed and tried to stand on her own

only to stumble back when her legs threatened to go out from under her. _Damn...still weak. At least I'm still alive to complain about it though._

Artemis managed not to wobble, 'confidently' getting to her feet when Catelyn Stark entered the spartan room a short time later. "Don't bother. You may have fooled my Lord husband, but I am a far more observant host than he is. You may not have Stark blood, but you are as stubborn as any of my children, along with their father."

"Men are kind of dense no matter where you are." Artemis said with a snort as she considered sitting back down, while trying to ignore the sweat that beaded on her forehead just from trying to stay on her feet. It made her blood boil even to acknowledge its existence, betraying the fact she was still all but helpless. "I hate appearing weak. Weakness wasn't something that was tolerated growing up." There was no point in lying to Catelyn, she had already proven she was far more observant than most.

"As you showed us many times while you fought the fever that almost took you." The Stark matriarch rolled up one of her embroidered sleeves to show Artemis a nasty bruise on her right forearm. "At first, you were far more combative than cooperative." Catelyn frowned the instant Artemis averted her gaze, her grey eyes full of guilt. "No. Shame does not suit you, I _thanked_ the gods for your defiant spirit. It was then that I knew you would survive."

"Why do you and your family care so much about a complete stranger?" Not a complete stranger, Artemis corrected herself, but the question remained.

To Artemis's surprise, Catelyn gently cupped her chin and made her meet her gaze. "Because we in the North look after our own. You are in the North, hence you are one of us. Your strange arrival means nothing, only what you choose to do now matters-"

Artemis was quick to jerk her chin out of the Tully woman's grasp, but she did so with some reluctance. "You can save the pep talk, I already got this speech from His Lordship."

"Then you'll just have to suffer through it again until you believe it. Now, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?" Catelyn asked, a familiar twinkle appearing in her eyes as she let her hand fall to her side. "And would you kindly sit? You look as if a strong breeze could best you."

With a sigh of defeat, Artemis plopped back down on the bed with a huff of annoyance. At least she was able to contain the relief she felt as her legs stopped shaking. "Only I can choose, blah, blah, blah."

"Gods be good, it's no wonder Septa Mordane thought about ripping her hair out. What hair she has left." Catelyn said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "I fear you shall ruin every decent young lady for miles and lead a rebellion against proper manners." Catelyn leaned closer to the younger woman and raised a hand before she could think of a snappy comeback. "And I have no doubt you would be victorious."

"At least you know who to put your money on." Artemis countered as her smirk disappeared as quickly as it had formed. "Thank you….I don't think I've said it enough, but thanks for keeping me alive. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll find some way to repay you, to help Winterfell until I can find or hear from any of my friends again. I have a feeling I'm not the only 'strange arrival' Westeros has had."

"I don't doubt your word, nor your commitment to your old friends. I will pray to the Seven that they are safe and well." Catelyn turned as a handmaiden entered behind them and offered a small bundle to her with a curtsey.

"M'lady."

"Ah, thank you. Please, help the others prepare a bath for our guest." Catelyn chose to ignore the glare Artemis threw her way. They both knew she was in no position to be doing anything for herself, and so the archer said nothing.

"Of course, m'lady." With another small curtsey, the girl, who had to be Artemis' age if not younger, quickly left the room.

Catelyn raised a curious eyebrow, as her opinion of the young woman went up a few notches. "You disapprove?"

"I hate being waited on hand and foot. I'm just used to doing everything myself, injured or not." The actual wound had long since healed over, but the infection had done its job by that point. So as much as it annoyed her, angered her, Artemis had to endure being treated as an invalid, or so she thought of herself.

"Would it improve your mood if I promised to assign you their tasks for a day, once you are well enough?" Catelyn gently chided the good hearted blonde.

"Only if you don't mind anyone who slaps my ass getting a black eye or a couple broken ribs." Artemis deadpanned as she crossed her arms over her chest again.

"Hmm. Perhaps I shall simply make up a holiday which they would not dare to question."

"Ya know, you aren't so bad Catelyn." While she doubted Catelyn would actually give such a holiday to the servants of the castle, forcing the people in a position of power to serve themselves, the humor wasn't lost on the archer. "Guess we might as well get this over with then, or Ned will be wondering what we're doing."

Catelyn's shock was not entirely feigned given Artemis's habit since breaking her fever for good. "Just Ned? I thought you'd never stop coming up with more interesting titles for my husband."

"I'm trying to be 'proper' for once. Don't get used to it." Artemis shot back, her gray eyes lighting up with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

Catelyn placed a hand to her chest with a mock pained expression. "I fear I may die of shock." Artemis only shook her head and chuckled at the woman's theatrics. Before either of them could say another word, Catelyn unwrapped the bundle in her arms.

Artemis blinked, dumbfounded as she looked at the dark green garment the woman was unfolding. "A dress? You actually expect me to wear... a dress?" The stern look on the Stark matriarch's face answered that question for her. "Fine. I'll wear the damn thing." Despite her seemingly easy acceptance, Artemis's mind was awhirl with her distaste of the outfit Catelyn had had brought up to her. _I can walk around a Manta sub in bronze armor and an enchanted amulet to hide my real identity, a dress shouldn't be half as difficult. It's a dress though! I might as well be naked._

Artemis's thoughts were derailed when someone made their presence known. "I'm glad to hear that." Both women turned to see Jon sticking his head into the room. "You are hard to kill I see." Jon noted with satisfaction. "Lord father sent me to see what was taking so long. Shall I let him know that you'll be coming down soon?"

"Tell him what you wish." Artemis was surprised by the chill that seemed to appear out of thin air as Catelyn turned her head towards Jon. She couldn't see her face, but the blonde woman had the distinct impression that Jon would have been reduced to ash if Catelyn could have killed him with a look. "We will be there soon enough, Snow." The young man merely nodded before shutting the door, leaving without so much as a word. The chill remained, but Artemis noticed it seemed tinged with sorrow at letting her control slip as Catelyn immediately shifted her attention back to the younger woman. "Now then, I imagine a hot bath will do you a world of good."

She didn't say anything about it then, but Artemis didn't plan to leave things as they were. If Catelyn could feel her gray eyed glare on her back, she didn't comment on it. If she had, Artemis wasn't sure she could have held her tongue in check. It wasn't her place to question their ways, not yet, but that didn't stop her from thinking about the hatred that had emanated from Catelyn Stark at the mere presence of Jon Snow.

Instead, Catelyn and one of her handmaidens got her cleaned up, dressed in the green gown that the older woman had had brought up, and ready to head down to her first meal outside of the infirmary since her arrival, all in silence.

Only Ned's arrival broke the tense silence that had fallen over the infirmary. "Who is this enchanting creature I see before me, and what have you done with courageous young Artemis?" Between Catelyn and her handmaiden's ministrations, Artemis had been transformed from the rough young woman she had been upon arrival, to the stunning picture that was presented to him now. While she still scowled and narrowed her eyes in annoyance, her inner beauty had been brought out. Her hair had been brushed until the long blonde locks shone and went down her back in golden waves, free of the ponytail it had originally been in. A little makeup had accentuated Artemis's facial features and clear skin, only adding to her natural allure. The green gown helped to show off her lean and trim figure.

"Your wife made her disappear, for the moment." She wasn't happy with the dress, but Catelyn's glowing expression _almost_ made it tolerable. Almost. "But if you want to keep poking the bear, I'm sure I can find her again." Artemis grinned at the smirk on Ned's stern face as he shook his head in amusement at the brash woman's attitude.

"I'm sure we'll find her soon enough. Come, a lady such as yourself deserves a proper escort." Ned turned to Catelyn with a gentle smirk. "With your leave m'lady."

"Off with you two before I reconsider." Catelyn countered, having to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing at her husband's attempt at humor. Before they got far, Artemis felt the woman's hand on her shoulder. "As rare as this might be, you would make a fair match for any true noble born lady."

Artemis stared blankly for a moment before finally replying, her cheeks having turned a shade brighter at the compliment. "Um...thanks. I guess."

"Aye, we could tell everyone she's a relation of yours my love." Ned teased as he offered Artemis his hand.

"With blonde hair like a Lannister? I think not." Catelyn laughed at that, and Ned chuckled in turn as they made their way to the main hall of Winterfell.

"Lannister? Lannister who-" Artemis didn't get to finish her question as she almost stumbled over the hem of her dress. "Damn! This is why I hate dresses!" If not for Ned's hand wrapped around her arm, and the fact she was having trouble keeping her balance anyway, she'd have bent down and ripped the gown to pieces so it didn't trip her up with every step. _Jade would be laughing her ass off if she could see me right now._

"At least it's a pretty dress." Ned snorted with a quiet chuckle.

"Not. Another. Word." Artemis growled, then remembered her situation and quickly tacked on a "Please."

"As you wish." With that, Ned patiently guided her to the main hall where the majority of his family had already gathered. Artemis felt an odd mixture of annoyance and gratitude when the man seemed to sense her fatigue and automatically slowed their pace towards the head table. "Attention everyone."

_Oh no. Oh hell no._ Artemis realized with horror what the man was about to do, and tried to tug free of his arm before being pulled slightly closer.

As suspected, Eddard carried out his plan to embarrass her to the fullest of his ability. "I would like to introduce Artemis Crock, our latest guest and future guardsmen... woman. So be courteous, all of you, your life might depend on her good nature one day."

"You are so dead when I'm back on my feet again." Artemis growled barely above a whisper, just loud enough to be heard by none but a grinning Eddard Stark and a beaming Catelyn Tully. With another huff, she was sat down at the end of the small table, near a four year old, Rickon, if her foggy memory served. Despite the curious glances that most of the family gave her, it was the subtle glare that the prettiest of the Stark children threw her way that had Artemis's undivided attention. _What crawled up your dress and died?_

"It is a pleasure to meet you Artemis Crock, for a peasant, my dress suits you rather nicely." It took a considerable amount of effort not to grab the knife in front of her and throw it into the girl's neck as Artemis met the oldest daughter's disapproving gaze. Thankfully, the food that the nearby servants had prepared for their meal decided to step in before she could dwell on it too much.

With practiced ease, Artemis just threw a smirk the girl's way, as if her verbal slap hadn't stung in the least. "Thanks. I didn't realize I was wearing something of yours. Sansa, right?" The way Sansa blushed at her surprisingly kind words gave Artemis a moment of pleasure at having put the pretty wall flower on the defensive.

To her credit, Sansa didn't remain on the defensive for long. "You are correct. I see my family has treated you well. Usually father is a bit less forgiving of those who hold his children hostage." Sansa shot back in that delicately soft voice that somehow contained equal parts pleasantness and scorn.

Robb quickly spoke up in Artemis's defense before his sister could get another word in edgewise. "Sansa, I certainly wouldn't describe it that way. The poor woman was half delirious at the time, and rightly cautious in my opinion."

"I heard she did it in the skin the gods gave her." Arya stated, much to Robb's embarrassment and Catelyn's shock at her blunt statement. Even Artemis had to pause as she reconsidered taking a drink from the mug that had been put in front of her as her cheeks turned a shade of red that would have put Sansa's hair to shame.

Robb nearly spat out his wine as he set the goblet down, sputtering loudly. "Arya! That is not true! ...Mostly."

"I'm not sure what's more surprising. The fact Robb looks like he swallowed his tongue, or the fact he was disarmed by a girl in the buff. What a Crock of bullshit." Theon Greyjoy stated with a leer.

"I've heard that more times than I can remember. From your idiotic grin, you must be Theon, the ah... 'ward' of House Stark. How'd your father's rebellion go? Oh right, sorry." Theon's leering smirk died at the reminder while Artemis smirked at having smacked the iron blooded idiot down without laying a hand on him. Before Theon could come up with a comeback, Artemis had since turned her gaze to Arya next. "And Arya, your brother's right, I wasn't exactly thinking straight. So uh...let's forget the whole thing shall we?"

It was Arya's turn to be interrupted as Theon recovered faster than Artemis thought he would. The dark look he threw her way aside, the leer on his face had returned as he openly looked at her body without a shred of shame. "I'm surprised Lord Stark saw fit to let you pretend to be a guard. I'm sure your fellow guardsmen will be happy to give you a warm welcome. If they don't, you can always patrol my bed anytime you like."

Before a fuming Eddard Stark could say a word, Artemis quickly spoke for herself. "Any man that tries to lay a finger on me won't have fingers." Theon again was at a loss for words at the cold fury that lined Artemis's voice as she casually picked up and twirled a carving knife between her fingers. "And just so we're clear Greyjoy, if I ever find myself in your bed, it'll be to cut your cock off and shove it down your throat." To emphasize her point, Theon had to jerk to the left as the knife left her hand and embedded itself into the wood of the chair where his ear had just been.

"Can you show me how to do that?!" Bran and Arya shouted at the same time, ignoring the terrified look on Greyjoy's face as Jon pulled the knife out of the chair and nodded his thanks to Artemis before returning to his meal.

"No, she won't." Ned grumbled while taking his seat, saving Artemis the effort. "Now, may we have a peaceful meal together for once?"

"Artemis, where are you from, that they teach girls archery and swordsmanship?" At his father's frown Bran shrugged and gestured to the interesting new woman at the end of the table. "What? I heard her talking in her sleep when Maester Luwin let me see her."

Artemis smirked down at the young boy, unbothered by his questions in the least as she took a moment to savor the good food that had been laid out on the table before addressing the second youngest Stark child. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I doubt you'd find my home town on any map you have Bran."

"Well, it was more interesting than listening to Luwin teach me how to make a poultice anyway." Bran shrugged despite the disapproving frown he received from his lord father.

"I wouldn't let Maester Luwin hear you say that." Robb said before he turned his gaze to Artemis next. "But he does have a point. I don't think I've heard tale of such a land where women are equal to men in the arts of war. Your journey here must have been quite a story in itself."

Eddard suddenly had a coughing fit which conveniently drew everyone's attention to the opposite side of the table. "Excuse me. As I recall, you made mention of visions of red lightning, a cackling evil boy, and other strange thoughts. It must have been the fever wreaking havoc with your memory, with the considerable amount you seem to have lost. Temporarily I hope."

It took all of Artemis's skill not to profusely thank Eddard for covering for her. She had no idea how she would have explained Klarion's magic sending her there without his clever half lie. "Yeah, me too. Sorry, I don't really know more than my name, the name of my parents, my sister, and some of the people I used to know before I found myself here. Other than some fuzzy memories of where we lived and what we did, there's not much else." _And I didn't need a fake background and an enchanted amulet to pull that off. Eat your heart out Dick._

Sansa almost seemed ashamed of her earlier behavior as she looked at Artemis with renewed interest. "It must be a terrible burden to be robbed of such memories."

_Not really. I wouldn't complain if I_ _ **could**_ _erase a few of the worst._ She merely shrugged before saying anything more. "It could have been a lot worse Sansa. At least I'm alive to complain about it at all."

"She's got a point." Jon mumbled, ignoring the scathing look that Catelyn threw his way for drawing attention to himself. Again Artemis had to wonder what the deal was with Jon and Catelyn, but she chose to keep her opinions to herself, for now.

As she noticed every pair of eyes in the hall curiously studying her, Artemis honestly had to wonder if she would have been better off staying in bed. _Why did I have to open my big damn mouth?_ As conversation slowly drifted away from her arrival in Winterfell, Artemis did her best to stay quiet and tried to enjoy her first decent hot meal in recent memory.

**Present Day**

The news of Jon Arryn's death had hit Ned hard, but from what Artemis had heard from the rest of the house guard, that wasn't the only bit of news that had come with the raven's message that morning. Having been standing watch by the main gate since early that morning, she thought she could see a distant cloud of dust approaching down the kingsroad, drawing closer to the gates of Winterfell. With the flurry of activity in the castle grounds themselves, Artemis had a pretty good idea who was coming. "King Robert Baratheon and the Lannisters." Turning to see who had given voice to her suspicions, Artemis's gray eyes shone briefly with admiration for the man that had approached her.

Looking over her shoulder, she smiled when she noted it was Jory Cassel, the Captain of Lord Stark's guards. The young man had never given her a reason not to like him, and he had eagerly accepted her as part of the force that would lay down their lives in defense of the castle and those that lived within. "I had a feeling, but I've been freezing my ass off up here so I haven't been able to listen to the gossip this afternoon. He's looking for a new Hand I take it?" Idly running a gloved hand through Cheshire's black fur, Artemis met the captain's gaze as he soon stood next to her and her direwolf.

"You'd be right Crock. Chances are good we'll be marching for King's Landing before the month's over." Jory said as he leaned on the wall next to the extraordinary archer. "I'm not sure who'd be better suited for that nest of adders, me or you."

"If it comes time for us to decide who's staying and who's going, I'd almost prefer staying here in Winterfell." There might have been a time Artemis would have welcomed the chance to see an actual city again, but that time had come and gone. Now she preferred the silence of the country, the communal society people here so favored. From the look on Jory's face, she could see that he was surprised by her answer, but pleasantly so.

Jory recovered quickly though and nodded his head in approval of her answer. But she didn't need to read his mind to know that he wanted to go out and see the world as he looked to the distant horizon. "Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing King's Landing, Lady Crock. To walk through the Red Keep, to look upon the Iron Throne for myself just once so I have stories to tell my grandchildren someday. Although I'll have plenty of stories to tell them about you."

Artemis threw her head back and laughed at that until she noted the embarrassment on Jory's face. "I'm sorry Jory, I just didn't think I'd ever hear someone say that about me of all people." Looking down when she felt a familiar tug on her glove, Artemis shook her head and met her wolf's gray gaze as she knelt down to Cheshire's level. "Alright you. You're as bad as my sister. Come on then, we could both use a hot meal."

"Get on with you. I'll have one of the others stand up here while you take care of yourself and your friend there." Cheshire gave off an appreciative growl deep in her throat, much to Jory's amusement. "I swear those wolves are as smart as me and you."

"You got that impression too huh?" Artemis didn't stick around for a reply before she and her black wolf ran off, the small wolf pup hot on her heels. She wasn't so small now though, just as the rest of the Starks' new pets had also grown over the last month since their discovery.

"Brandon!" Hearing Catelyn's shout as they crossed the yard, Artemis stopped and stared up at the wall the young boy was currently climbing down. She and Cheshire soon stood behind the Stark matriarch as she glowered at the cheerful boy. "How many times have I told you, no climbing?!"

"But mother-" The sight of Artemis' glare along with a subtle shake of her head was enough to get the boy safely to the ground in record time.

Knowing why Bran had gone silent so quickly before she even turned to look, Catelyn met Artemis's gray eyes and fought the urge to chuckle. "And you're just as bad as he is. Don't think I don't know about your little lessons you've been giving Arya and Bran when I'm not looking. Gods only know why I put up with you."

"Because I'm a hell of a shot and you like that I'm so honest all the time." Artemis countered without a moment of thought.

"True enough. Bran, go tell your brothers and sisters to be ready. I fear we will be having unwelcome guests for dinner tonight."

"But why do I have t-" The mischievous grin on Artemis's face had Bran running as fast as his legs could carry him, his own direwolf pup, Summer, doing his best to keep up with him. Cheshire watched all this with an amused look on her face while Catelyn only shook her head as she turned back to the grinning archer.

"Dare I ask how you do that?" The older woman asked.

"He knows not to call my bluffs on the off chance I'm not kidding. Which is never in his case. But don't tell him I said that." Artemis said with a shrug of her shoulders before she pulled her heavy quiver's strap higher on her left shoulder.

"Oh, I know that you'd sooner stick one of your own arrows in your heart than harm a hair on Bran's head. That said, I thought the 'accidental' near misses during his archery lessons were a stroke of genius. You certainly taught him a healthy respect for weapons in short order."

"Yeah well, better respect than outright fear." Artemis shrugged again, but Catelyn didn't miss the brief flash in her gray eyes as they made their way to the main hall. "Besides, his accuracy certainly went up a fair bit."

Having gained the advantage, Catelyn was loath to let it go as she continued speaking. "And you were clever enough to take advantage of the opportunity to teach him how to stitch the tears in his clothes. One never knows when they might have to mend a shirt, or a wound."

"I'm over prepared, what can I say?" Try as she might to sound nonchalant about it, Artemis knew she hadn't fooled Catelyn into believing she didn't consider it a big deal.

A hand on her arm proved that in spades as they stopped just past the main hall's heavy iron doors. "Over prepared is well armed Artemis. You and Ser Rodrick make a formidable team. You especially have done more for my children, even Jon Snow, than I could have hoped for. I might not like to think of it, but I know my Lord husband is right. Winter always comes, and I'd rather they be safe and prepared for anything."

"It helps I don't have gray whiskers about as long as my hand." Artemis countered as a small smirk appeared on her lips, but her intense gaze never wavered from Catelyn's face.

Letting her hand fall back to her side, the Tully woman moved about the hall as she directed the bustling servants to and fro, all the while continuing their conversation. "Don't let Rodrick hear you say such things. I fear he'll have you cleaning the armory all summer long."

As was her custom, Artemis had a ready comeback. "I can always use more practice cleaning the weapons anyway."

Overhearing this as he strode towards them, Eddard shook his head in amusement. "Haven't you had enough of 'maintaining' the armory? You're going to wear the blades down to a nub. And then what would we fight with?"

"Vulgar language?" Artemis shot back, her grin reappearing on her face as she stepped aside when a servant laden with food bustled past. "'Sides, with the King and his merry band about to knock on the gates, I think we'll have plenty of ammo to go around."

"I take it you heard then." Ned stated rather than asked as she only nodded as she hesitantly met his stern green gaze. "Then it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'd like for you to be present alongside Ser Rodrick, and the rest of the guard, when they ride in."

"Parade march through the castle, got it. Should I dress up in that pretty gown again? Before you say anything, I'd rather go to this party naked before wearing that thing again. I swear it was trying to trip me." Despite her complaint, Artemis really hadn't minded the dress so much. It had felt good to actually look like a woman rather than a wilding, as Septa Mordane would no doubt say. Artemis didn't plan to admit that to anyone though, Ned especially.

"And Catelyn was looking forward to making you look ravishing again too." Ned chuckled as the first meal they had had together flickered through his thoughts. "Wear what you will, but I would ask you to clean off the mud and the dirt at the very least."

"But Jory always tells me the mud and dirt is 'quite striking.'" Again the wolf pup at her feet growled in what was unmistakably a chuckle as Artemis crossed her arms before the stern faced Lord of the North. "Course, his opinion is probably biased since I could beat him and any three men bloody with nothing but my fists."

Ned could only sigh in exasperation. "Just do it Artemis. It would not do for a Lord to have to beg one of his guards now would it?"

"Of course m'lord." Artemis smirked as she gave the nobleman a small bow.

Ned held out a hand to stop her. "Don't do that. It's... very odd. Coming from you especially."

Just as she was about to take off to do as he had kindly asked, Artemis stopped and stared at Ned and Catelyn for a long moment. "Whatever happens with the King, I'll be right behind you one way or the other." Ned only nodded while Catelyn looked on the young archer and her pup with appreciation as Artemis exited the main hall at a brisk run. They didn't have to ask what she had meant. Robert Baratheon's reason for visiting Winterfell was the worst kept secret in the seven kingdoms.

"So the invaders approach our gates, but are you ready to thwart them?" Stopping on her way to the guard barracks, Artemis wasn't at all surprised Robb was trying to catch up with her. His own wolf, Grey Wind, stopped and stared at her own in that curious way all of the Stark wolves had about them, as if they were speaking to each other without their owners being the wiser.

Ignoring the look her own wolf was giving to Robb's, Artemis met the eldest Stark's gaze and grinned as she started towards the barracks again, albeit at a much slower pace. "Give me a pile of quivers, and five men half as good as I am. We could be at your father's coronation in King's Landing in two weeks, tops."

"Really, that long eh? You don't give yourself enough credit Artemis. I doubt even the mighty Aegon the Conqueror and his three dragons would have been a match for you and your bow." Robb said, his eyes holding more in their gray depths than amusement.

It took a considerable effort for her to ignore the intensity in his eyes as she shrugged him off. "I'd turn him and his sister wives into allies and have three interesting new pets. Failing that, well, there's always plan B."

"Let me guess: Bloodbath?"

"Something like that. At least I'd still have the dragons though. I don't like animal cruelty." _Except for Klarion's cat. There's one pussy I wouldn't mind declawing._ Letting that thought sink deep into a dark corner of her mind, Artemis continued without missing a beat. "So, what can I do for ya Robb?"

"Besides provide me with your usual brand of humor? I was actually hoping you had seen Jon and my brothers about."

"Bran was just sent to find you and the rest of your folks actually, to let them know the King and his entourage are coming down the kingsroad. I haven't seen Arya today, and Sansa I'd guess is with old bat Mordane, as usual. Jon I was sure was talking with Mikken earlier, but if he's still there I can't say."

"You and Mordane are still at odds I see." Robb leaned closer to her as if sharing a dark secret. "Between you and me, she always has the barest hint of a grin on her wrinkled face after one of your bouts. I think it keeps her young at heart, finding some little upstart that isn't intimidated by her in the least."

"Huh. That's the last thing I expected to hear." Artemis could only blink for a few seconds as Robb's words sunk in, but when they did, she let out a short laugh and disappeared into the barracks, leaving Robb to find his brothers and sisters alone. It was only after the door had been shut behind her that Artemis let her mask dissolve completely. _Great. This is almost as bad as the whole thing with Kaldur and M'gann. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. My life and the people I care about are here, but I have to honor my word. Ned's going to give in to Robert's demand to be the new Hand, and if half of the stories I've heard about the capital are true, then he'll need all the help he can get. If only Ollie was here. He'd say something asinine and then give me some surprisingly wise advice right about now._

"You look like you swallowed a horseshoe Arty." While it wasn't Ollie, Arya was the second best thing she had as Artemis opened the door to her private quarters and was surprised to see the young girl sitting on her bed. "I'm hiding from Mordane." Arya stated when Artemis looked at her quizzically.

"I figured. So what happened this time? Banished from classes? Destroyed some ancient holy relic?" Artemis asked as she looked outside before gently shutting the door when she was sure the coast was clear.

"Sewing lessons. I hate sewing!" Arya shot back.

"Well, let me ask you the same thing I asked Bran. Do you like bleeding to death?" Bran had paled visibly when Artemis had put the question to him, but he at least had had the good sense to give her a satisfactory answer when he had recovered.

The young girl was too angry to be afraid as she rounded on Artemis. "You don't have to stitch stupid embroidery onto wounds though!" Arya countered before flopping onto her front on Artemis's bed. "I know what you're trying to do. I hate that it's working. You always know what to say, what to do, to get people to do what you want."

"I've had practice." Sitting next to the young Stark, Artemis looked at the ground between her feet. "I don't like scaring you kiddo, but like your old man, I won't lie to you either. I don't think this royal welcome is going to end well for anyone. Just a bad feeling I have. Why do you think I've been so hard on you and Bran and Rickon?" Rickon she hadn't had nearly enough time with, but the fact remained all the same.

"Because winter is coming?" Arya phrased the statement like a question, but it still had the effect of sending a chill down their respective spines.

"That's about the truth in a nutshell Arya." Artemis finally said as she felt rather than saw the girl sit next to her. "It might not seem like an important skill, but trust me, sewing a wound shut, 'stupid embroidery' or not, is something you shouldn't run away from. It's either that or plan B."

"Burning it shut with fire and steel didn't work so well for you." Arya grumbled aloud, but the hint of a grin had started to appear once more.

"Thanks for the reminder Arya Underfoot." She wasn't surprised when the girl nudged her none too gently with her elbow before getting to her feet.

"You promised you wouldn't say that!"

"I lied. Adults do that."

"Long Lost Lannister." Arya muttered with a grin on her face. Artemis much prefered the story Ned had implied years ago than Arya's mocking theory. The mysterious woman with no past suited her quite well.

"Horseface." Artemis countered before ruffling the girl's hair, much to Arya's amused annoyance. "Now go, I need to get ready and so do you."

"I wasn't going to say anything, but you do kind of reek." Arya shot back just as Artemis chugged her pillow at the retreating girl's back. The door shut before it could get close to its mark, but it had served its purpose in getting the young Stark moving.

Cleaned and dressed in her best polished leathers and fur lined clothes that Artemis had stored away, the archer had had just enough time to feed herself and Cheshire before the first of the King's entourage made their presence known at the castle gates. Gently nudging her way between Rodrick and another of the castle staff, Artemis stood with her arms crossed and her bow prominently displayed on her back, right next to her heavy quiver. Rodrick gave her a curious glance, but she just shrugged. The old man said nothing more, knowing better than to question her well meaning paranoia.

Maester Luwin also gave her a strange look as Artemis stared at the back of Catelyn's head, until she realized Arya was missing about the same time the Tully woman had. When asked about her location, Sansa only minutely shrugged, but they didn't have to wait for long as the youngest girl ran by, a helmet on her head of all things. Artemis had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from smirking as Ned took the iron helm off of Arya's head and handed it to Rodrick, who made it disappear like a magician. _Way to go Arya._ Artemis gave the young girl a brief smirk when their eyes met, and the annoyed frown disappeared from Arya's face as the first of the royal entourage rode into Winterfell.

It was as Jory had said, as Catelyn had feared, and as the gossip had said. The entire royal family and all of their men in arms were about to descend on Winterfell in force. It was a security nightmare in Artemis's opinion, but she said nothing. Her well meaning paranoia aside, she had heard the stories of how the mighty Tywin Lannister had taken King's Landing during the rebellion. If the man had led his men into the besieged city only to turn on the Mad King's forces the moment they were inside the capitol, she shuddered to think what his children were capable of if the need were to ever arise. _Lannister arrogance is only matched by their cunning, Vandal Savage would have been right at home with them._

Her thoughts were entirely derailed when her gray eyes fell on the last of the royal entourage. At the very back, flanking the ugliest dwarf she had ever seen, were two people she had all but given up on seeing again. _M'gann?! Zatanna?! What in the Seven Hells are you doing here?!_ The two beautifully adorned women almost fell from their respective horses when they saw and sensed her in their telepathic link, M'gann having been gently probing the crowd for anyone that stood out. Her surprise gave way to unbridled joy as she fought the intense urge to run out of the Stark line and charge the two right in front of the queen and king of the Seven Kingdoms.

Her joy turned a bit sour when she heard an unfamiliar voice in her thoughts, and from the lecherous look from the littlest Lord, she had a pretty good idea who had spoken. _So you're the goddess of the hunt I've heard so much about from my two good friends. My but you are a beauty. Tyrion Lannister, and you're Artemis Lian Crock, are you not? Zat, M'gann, you never said your friend was a long lost relative of mine._

Helping the little Lord from his special saddle, 'Megan' and Zatanna merely shook their heads at the man that had become their friend. _It's good to see you again Artemis. We have a lot to catch up on._ Megan nodded her head enthusiastically at Zat's words, leaving Artemis at a rare loss for words as Ned and Robert disappeared from the gathering to pay their respects to Lyanna Stark. Zatanna had no idea how true her words were.

_Ending Notes; I plan to have M'gann and Zat's backstory for this little dance next chapter. For now, I hope this one made up for the exceedingly short chapter last round guys and gals. Sansa Stark's relationship with Artemis is understandably icy, as you can see, but who knows what might happen later down the road. ;D Arya Stark is unsurprisingly good friends with the archer, and everyone else save for Theon treats her with the respect such an accomplished woman like her deserves._

_As a bonus, if anyone wishes to make that beforementioned fanart, I'd be happy to consider putting in a character or idea of your choosing into the next chapter, whether it'd be an OC or an unmentioned YJ character wouldn't matter._

_One more thing before I forget, thank you **X'Over's Chosen** for picking one of my stories to be a part of your community's archives. At any rate, see ya!  
_


	5. Lannister Lesson

**Two years ago.**

**King's Landing.**

**Zatanna Zatara and M'gann M'orzz.**

Waking up with a head splitting hangover was nothing new to Tyrion Lannister as he waddled to his table and poured himself a glass of summer wine. The storm clouds had been unleashing their fury since two nights ago, and today was no different, but when he looked up, the littlest Lord cocked his slightly oversized head to the side when he saw a flash of red lightning. _How odd. There's something you don't see everyday._ He had seen lightning before of course, same as any man, but red was a color he had never observed before. While he normally didn't look up to watch lightning flash across the heavens, today felt strangely different to the diminutive Lannister. Perhaps it was his pounding headache, perhaps it was the comfortable ache in his loins from the beautiful redhead that was even then sleeping in his bed with a very contented smirk on her face, but Tyrion couldn't shake the ominous feeling the odd weather instilled in his heart. He wasn't a religious man in the least, but the feeling remained all the same. Either way, he was quite curious as he took a deep sip from his full mug of wine and continued to watch the sky from his balcony window, all the while more arcs of red lightning crackled and danced.

 _No doubt a reasonable explanation for it. At least I could get a laugh from watching Pycelle try to explain it in his infinite wisdom._ No sooner had the thought crossed his mind that Tyrion's day became notable for far more than meteorological oddities. The brightest flash yet lit up the sky before two smoking bodies hit the ground on either side of him. _And now it rains women? The gods must be having a good laugh at my expense. Or perhaps I've simply been poisoned, and hallucinating beautiful women falling at my feet. A rather nice side effect if that's the case._ With a sigh, Tyrion set down his mug with a cautious glance and waddled over to the two young women that had fallen on his balcony. He fervently hoped that whoever they were, they didn't decide to ruin his appetite by having the discourtesy of being dead at his feet, provided they were real in the first place. Nudging the closer of the two with his right foot, Tyrion knelt down and was relieved to see that at least one of them was breathing. "Pardon me, but I do believe you've had a nasty fall. Also, you are trespassing and would usually be put to death, but I'm in a generous mood. Are you alright?"

"What- where...?" Tyrion had to wonder if he was more hungover than he thought as he stumbled backwards, falling to the floor when the girl he had nudged glanced at him as she slowly stood to her full height.

From the small burns on her arms and face, as well as the tears in her clothing, he had no doubt she had been in a fight with someone quite recently, but it was the shade of her skin that had caught his eye first. _Oh, green skin, that's a new one. Either_ _ **I am**_ _hallucinating, or I'm about to be killed by a ravishing demon. Hmm... perhaps she's a succubus? If I'm going to die, at least my executioner has a nice ass and a wonderful set of tits. Her hair could be a bit longer, but who am I to complain?_

 _I_ _ **can**_ _hear you._ Her eyes lit up with green light and her face became locked in a blank stare, concentrating on him alone. To his even greater surprise, Tyrion felt a presence in his mind that wasn't his own, and 'heard' a voice that he just knew wasn't one of his usual dreams of women whispering sweet nothings into his ears. For one, most of those highly talented women had never sounded terrified and enraged all at once, and two, while he had heard her speak, her mouth hadn't moved an inch. _Who are you?!_

Despite the very strange, and quite possibly deadly, situation he found himself in, Tyrion got to his feet, dusted himself off, and crossed his arms over his chest before meeting the red eyed woman's gaze. It threw her off as she looked to her right and pressed her fingertips against the other girl's neck, breathing a sigh of relief before turning back to glare at him.

"Well this is certainly a surprise." Tyrion began, breathing his own sigh of relief when the fear started to disappear from the girl's eyes. The presence in his mind remained, but he felt a noticeable pressure being lifted about the same time. "An educated woman that knows how to check for signs of life, and one that has a very captive audience as well. I must confess you're outside my area of expertise, but I have the feeling you're just as confused as I. So tell me my dear, who might you be and how did you come to be here of all places? As for who I am, my name is Tyrion Lannister. You may refrain from bowing if you wish." Tyrion held out a placating hand. "And before you ask, I must assume your next question will be where you are? That's easy as well. You're in King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms."

"King's Landing? The capital? Seven Kingdoms?" Shaking her head in confusion, Tyrion wondered if the gods really were having a great laugh at his expense after all if they decided to drop an idiot into his private chambers.

 _Poor thing is as simple minded as a goat. I must be getting too soft._ With a heavy sigh of exasperation, Tyrion waddled back to his table, refilled his glass, poured the strange girl a glass as well, and started towards her friend who was still sprawled out on the balcony. Something told him they were all going to need it before this was over. "Yes. That is what I said. Should I speak more slowly for you? Judging from the shocked look on your face, I see none of this makes the slightest bit of sense to you."

Just as he reached the raven haired girl's side, she started to stand to her feet, a white gloved hand pressed against her temples. Again he saw a collection of burns and cuts on her body, and it took him only a few moments to see that she had taken the brunt of whatever had hit them. "Whaa- M'gann? What happened?"

"Oh good, your charming companion is alive as well." Tyrion knelt by the dark haired girl as a playful smirk pulled at this lips. _I suppose it would be a bit much to jest about that orgy I had planned for this afternoon._ "Hello, just be still for a moment. You seem to have taken quite the beating. I am Tyrion, son of Tywin, would you care to favor me with your name?"

"Huh?" The grateful look on the raven haired girl's face wasn't missed as her green skin companion steadied her when it looked like she was about to fall to the stone floor again. "Thanks M'gann."

"Ah, she is more dazed than I thought." Tyrion started for the door before looking over his shoulder. "Just a moment, I will see to your friend's expedient care." _Right after I summon the King's Guard. Hmm, the dungeon seems too harsh, perhaps I'll just have them escorted out. Jaime can do it well enough._ The gentle presence in his mind became an iron grip on his motor functions, as Tyrion realized too late that he couldn't move a muscle, save for his mouth. "Or I can stay here."

"Please don't make me hurt you." The strangely colored girl said, her right hand raised in his direction while her other was wrapped around her companion's waist. "We mean you no harm, but-"

Tyrion saved them both the effort and simply interrupted the green skinned young woman. "I have the distinct impression I don't have much choice in the matter. I really shouldn't be surprised, I rarely do. So you wish to go unnoticed I take it, yet you can barely stand. Can I trust you not to kill me? That's the real question. I rather enjoy living, and I plan to keep doing that for quite some time. You say you won't harm me, and yet you have me at your mercy. What am I to make of that?"

"You thought of alerting your guards. I couldn't let you do that." M'gann stated firmly but softly.

If he had been able to move, Tyrion would have put his hand on his chin and cocked his head to the side at this interesting development. He knew he hadn't given voice to his desire to get the guards together to escort the two women out of the castle, so that left only two possibilities. Either the girl was far shrewder than he gave her credit for, or... "Curious... what number am I thinking of?" He asked, unable to hide the grin that formed on his lips at what was really on his mind.

The girl's red eyes widened ever so slightly and her green cheeks turned several shades darker before she found her voice again. "You're picturing having sex with three different women at the same time."

"Amazing! I have yet to have the dubious honor of meeting an actual witch in the flesh! You truly are a marvel my dear. M'gann was it?" His amazement was met with more confusion by the girl, but the grip on his body slackened a little he was happy to note.

The verdant blush on her cheeks only seemed to deepen. "I'm not a wit- nevermind, are you going to help my friend or should I just knock you out right now?"

While M'gann had lowered her right hand, Tyrion found he still couldn't move. Still, he breathed a little easier when he noted that she had begun to tentatively trust him, her expression softening somewhat. "If you allow me to move, I will get someone to bandage and tend to your wounds. You have my word as a Lannister, no guards, no tricks. I would advise covering yourself a bit however, green might be fetching where you hail from, but here it will draw unwanted attention."

Tyrion blinked in astonishment as the girl's skin changed to a far familiar, albeit less intriguing, hue and her eyes were suddenly shifted to a lovely brown. Her short cropped red hair was the only thing that remained, but he nodded his approval as he pulled the closest chair away from the table before M'gann helped her friend into the seat. "Thank you."

"I have a fondness for women in need." Tyrion explained with just a hint of bitterness in his voice, as he put on a cheerful smirk for them. "Please, help yourself to the wine if you wish, it's one of the finest summer vintages you'll ever have, you both look like you could use a drink. While you do that, I do believe I have a messenger to wake up." With that, Tyrion started towards his bed and clapped his hands loudly, causing the woman entangled in his sheets to jerk upright and glance around the room in confusion. "When you've dressed my dear, I have need of you to run down to Maester Pycelle and ask him to bring some bandages along with his salves and poultices. I seem to have wound up with two injured, lost guests on my balcony. Curious thing that." When the whore continued to stare, Tyrion sighed and put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I seem to be cursed with stunning beautiful women with slow minds this morning. You. Dress. Find Pycelle. Salves, poultices, and bandages. Now go!" With that command, the redhead shot Tyrion a withering glare but did as she was told, dressing in the scant 'clothes' she had been in upon entering his chambers in the first place before running out the door.

"Was that really necessary?" The raven haired girl asked, her pallor having improved since sitting down. "At least the wine's good." She noted after she had taken a sip from the glass that Tyrion had prepared for her and M'gann. He also noted that her gloved hand that had gripped the glass was shaking from exhaustion.

"Zatanna! Don't drink that, it might be drugged!" M'gann blurted out before pulling the wine glass out of her friend's shaking hand and setting it out of her reach.

"You worry far too much. I'll have you know I have never-" Tyrion paused in thought before rapidly amending his statement. "I have hardly ever stooped to such ungentlemanly behavior." When the raven haired girl quickly shoved the goblet even further away from herself, Tyrion made a point of frustratedly stomping over and draining half of it in one gulp before wiping his chin. "And Zatanna is a very pretty name."

"And you're a very ugly, chauvinistic, pompous ass. But I've seen worse." Tyrion shrugged off the series of insults and sat down across from the two women. "I'm sorry, I always get snippy when I lose." Zatanna stated, her right hand closing into a tight fist until he made it a point to put his hand over hers.

 _A stunning vocabulary, even if she's only half right about me._ He wasn't surprised when Zatanna pulled her gloved hand away from him, but he paid it no mind as he met their respective gazes. "I'm under the distinct impression you and your friend were in some kind of brawl. So, you know how to fight, and you're still alive. To me those are two useful things working in your favor. It means you'll get another chance at the bastard that made the mistake of crossing you."

Tyrion noted how the ravened hair woman slammed her hand onto the table's edge at the reminder. He recognized the reaction as a warrior having lost a critically important fight and yet still lived to carry the burden of the loss. It only intrigued the little Lannister further. "I can't believe I let a twelve year old boy- I mean-"

"A child did this to you?" Suddenly Tyrion didn't sound nearly as confident. "I may have to retract my last statement."

When her cyan colored eyes gained a dangerous edge, the little Lannister had to wonder if he shouldn't have opened his mouth for once. Something in those eyes contained more than anger at the verbal slight, but it was gone before he could ponder it further, and instead, focused on the mischievous smirk on Zatanna's lips. "Really now?" Tyrion about fell from his high back wooden chair when the raven haired woman opened her left hand, and a ball of fire appeared in her outstretched palm. "Care to retract your retraction?" When she closed her hand, the flame disappeared with only a puff of black smoke, and to his even bigger surprise, the glove was completely unmarked when she opened her fingers again.

"I stand corrected. He must have been a very naughty little boy indeed." Tyrion seemed to ponder her smoking palm for a moment. "You must save quite the bundle on torches… So you have real magic and your friend can read minds, along with freezing people with a mere glance. Quite remarkable talents that haven't been seen in Westeros since the time of the fabled Children. That was quite a few thousands of years ago. My advice? Don't let anyone know what you are. You will either be killed on sight or imprisoned, tortured and killed later, and that's being generous."

"He's telling the truth. In fact, he hasn't lied yet, but most of his mind his heavily guarded." M'gann stated as she looked to her friend, who nodded before they turned back to their host. "And I didn't freeze you, I simply paralyzed your muscles."

"Ah. I see." Tyrion nodded his head at the unneeded clarification.

Zatanna rolled her eyes at M'gann's seemingly eternal naivete, focusing on the short man in front of her. "Thanks for the tip by the way. I'm sure we'd never have figured that out on our own." The girl's sarcasm came naturally, and Tyrion guessed that it was a defense mechanism, just as his own was when something didn't work out as he had planned.

He found that he quite enjoyed having someone that seemed to share his kind of humor, and even better, seemed to have a modicum of intelligence. "Oh I'm going to like you quite a bit. I thought I was the only one with a brazen wit in this entire city, and I'm glad to see I was mistaken this time." Just as he was about to take a sip from his nearly empty goblet, the door to his chambers opened. "Ah, Maester Pycelle. Ladies, Grand Maester Pycelle, our resident authority on most things useless and long winded, healing being one of his better talents." _Just don't let him be alone in a room with either of you. Rumor has it he has wandering hands, lecherous old fart that he is._

 _And we're so much safer in your hands, right?_ Tyrion smirked at the fact he could still hear Zatanna's sarcasm in his mind.

 _As I said before, I have a fondness for women in need... although most of the time that need is of a particular kind that I am quite happy to satisfy._ Zatanna could only roll her eyes again while M'gann's cheeks darkened again at his badly hidden double entendre. His smirk only grew when Maester Pycelle looked at the three of them in curiosity, having no idea what was going on. Tyrion found he preferred keeping the lecherous old man in the dark about this aspect of his new found friends. "Pardon me Pycelle, would you care for a drink or some food perhaps? You do look ever so weary from your long walk to my chambers."

If Pycelle noticed the Lannister's sarcasm, he didn't say as he made his way to Tyrion's table. "No, thank you m'lord. I have taken my breakfast already. Now, who might these beautiful two young ladies be... and how did they come to harm?" When said two ladies shared a glance, Tyrion had to bite his tongue when Zatanna muttered something under her breath. Whatever spell she had cast took immediate effect as Pycelle's eyes glazed over and he stood straight as a post. "What is your command?"

Tyrion could only stare in shock as the old grand maester blankly gazed at them before walking forward without the limp he normally always possessed. Letting his gaze fall on Zatanna and M'gann, the sorceress shrugged, all the while moving the fingers of her left hand as if she were manipulating a puppet. "That's more like it. Now we won't have to worry about wandering hands. I almost feel bad for pulling this stunt, but I'd rather he not remember us just yet. Not until we know what we've gotten ourselves into."

"Remind me to never get on your bad side." Tyrion shuddered at the flirtatious smirk Zat threw his way as Pycelle's shambling gait became puppeteer like. Gone was the slumped over maester that pretended to be far weaker than he truly was. In his place was for all intents and purposes, a mindless doll that Zatanna manipulated with nothing more than the fingertips of her left hand. Despite his shock at just how powerful they were, Tyrion found his curiosity far outweighed any fear he felt around them. "I do have to wonder just what other secrets he's been keeping though. I never believed the frail old man routine, but to see how easily he moves under your control does make me quite curious. M'gann?"

"No." Tyrion shot her a surprised look at her flat refusal. "There was a time I might not have been so hesitant, but that time has come and gone. I won't break into his mind, even if he is a creepy old man and a liar. If that's his only crime then it's not nearly enough of a reason to damage him beyond repair."

"An intelligent woman with a sense of morality? Now there _is_ a surprise. Most intelligent women with power of any kind always want the same thing, more power. In our case, that's a spot on the Iron Throne, but in your case? Oh the things I could do with the wondrous skills you possess M'gann." Holding up his right hand before she could come up with a response, Tyrion continued. "But, I can already tell that you will not compromise your honor or moral code, even though it will only get you killed in this place." Sinking into a contemplative silence, Tyrion paid the upright maester no mind as he tended to their wounds under Zatanna's 'guidance.' When at last he did speak, he had to rub his head in exasperation since he had a feeling things weren't going to end well. "The gods only know how this will turn out, but I think your chances will drastically improve if both of you were to stay with me."

"Yeah right. You're just going to take us in out of the goodness of your heart." Zatanna hissed at him, as Pycelle stitched up one of her cuts.

"You'd be fools to believe it if I _had_ said as much, so I congratulate you on your powers of perception Zatanna. No, what I propose would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Keep me alive, and I'll keep you and your friend alive to the best of my ability. A Lannister always pays his debts, and let us say there are plenty of people in this land that would gladly separate my head from the rest of my body if ever given the chance, my own father among them. Now, back to the matter at hand."

Tyrion noticed with a mix of amusement and concern that M;gann's eyes were back to their reddish hue when her excited curiosity got the better of her. Most people would chalk it up to a trick of the light, but he knew a few that wouldn't be so easily fooled. "We'd need any information you have about this wo-"

"You'll receive everything you could ever want to know and more M'gann. King's Landing has quite the library." Out of habit, Tyrion started for the door to retrieve a few books, but then thought better of it.

It was probably just as well. He could feel a pair of cyan eyes boring holes through his forehead. "I think you two are getting _way_ ahead of yourselves. We aren't staying. As soon as I'm back on my feet, I'm sending us home." Even as the words left her mouth though, Zatanna had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. "And why don't you just rip anything you want to know out of his head? I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Right?" Never before had Tyrion found a woman's gaze to be as arousing and terrifying in equal measure.

"Wait, what? You can read people's thoughts, communicate silently, _and_ plunder their memories?" Tyrion turned his attention towards M'gann, looking at the young redhead with a whole new appreciation. "So, your hesitance earlier had merit to it. Hmm, I would tell you to take a dip into Pycelle's brain, but I know you won't." Tyrion filled his goblet and downed it in one go. "Well then, have at me. Just be gentle, it's my first time with a beautiful mind reader. Besides, I get the feeling I'm not going anywhere until you both know I'm telling you the truth. A rather odd turn of events for me, but none the less there it is."

"At least you're calm about all this." M'gann didn't have to read his mind to know that wasn't true.

"Oh, I am utterly terrified my dear, but intrigued nonetheless."

"You don't have to be afraid. It's true that I could leave your mind in ruins, but I promised myself I'd never do something like that again."

"Forgive me if I don't take you at your word." Tyrion held up a finger as M'gann stepped closer. "If you leave me a drooling idiot, please make sure to leave at least a few pleasant memories of my glorious drunken debauchery intact."

M'gann giggled as she put a hand on Tyrion's shoulder. "I'll see what I can do." Tyrion stared in fascination when her eyes started to glow green, and the next words he heard were once again only in his head. _This might feel a little strange._ The next thing Tyrion saw was a flash of light behind his eyes before he found himself standing in the exact same room, only there wasn't a storm cloud in sight, and Zatanna seemed to have vanished into thin air. "It's a mental representation." Turning to his right, Tyrion saw M'gann as she had appeared upon their arrival, minus her injures and her shredded clothing. "This is how you see things around you. Everyone has a different perception of the world."

He found it no surprise that he saw things as they truly were, not as some people wanted them to be. "And how I see you as well. A beautiful creature such as yourself should not be forced to hide behind boringly _normal_ expectations. That shade of green _is_ quite fetching after all."

"And _I_ know you're only saying that because you want to have sex with me." Despite her annoyed tone, Tyrion couldn't hide the smirk on his face at the blush that appeared on the young woman's cheeks.

"Well, that doesn't make my words any less true, now does it? Come now M'gann, I thought you were supposed to be in my head? Yet I seem to have gotten in yours. It makes me wonder if you've ever had a lover the way you blush and scowl at the slightest insinuation."

Pulling a stray red hair back behind her ear, it was all M'gann could do not to stutter as she spoke again. "I um... we're here to find information about your world, not me."

Tyrion's eyebrows shot up as the girl averted her gaze, finding an interesting stone pillar to stare at.

"I'll take that as a _no_ then. Truly shocking, I must say."

"My life was complicated! Oh nevermind."

"Sounds like an excuse to me. But if it will make you feel less uncomfortable, I'll leave it be. I feel I must ask though, who was the lucky man, or woman that had your heart?" Tyrion was momentarily shocked when an image appeared behind M'gann before it disappeared. He had caught a hint of black hair and big, blue eyes, set into a chiseled face that would have made his brother jealous. "At least he's a handsome fellow."

"What?!" M'gann's red eye widened before she did an awful job of trying to recompose herself. "I mean, I'm going to probe your mind now. I'll take it slow at first."

Tyrion couldn't help himself as he grinned up at the flustered green woman. "Will this be requiring lubrication of any sort?"

"No! Now just- answer my questions. Where are we?" M'gann had her answer as a detailed map of the land appeared behind the Lannister, but whether he was aware of it or not didn't stop him from speaking.

"I recall mentioning this before, but I will gladly reiterate for you. We, are in King's Landing. Which is the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros." Tyrion paused for a moment. "Westeros is a continent."

"I know what a continent is!" M'gann blurted out with an aggravated huff. Taking a breath, she forced herself to calm down as she examined the memories her question had brought up. "The North, the Iron Islands, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, Dorne, and the Reach." Each name brought more information regarding who ruled what, their House mottos, and what they were known best for. All of it was surprisingly detailed, vivid, and categorized in Tyrion's mind, making it easy for M'gann to file it away in turn. Despite the vast amount of information, she was able to process it in mere minutes.

"I fear my social life will take far longer." Tyrion's lips curled into a smirk as the sound of passionate lovemaking filled the room.

"I'm not interested in that!" M'gann's startled red eyes darted away from the sight of two women pleasuring each other for his amusement while a younger Tyrion watched with glee while a third pleasured him with her mouth.

Seeing M'gann's almost panicked gaze, Tyrion immediately focused on something more mundane. "My apologies." The image disappeared as well as the sound effects associated with that particularly fun afternoon, and was replaced by one he could have done without. "Ah, say hello to my father. Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock. That was the year he put me in charge of the cisterns and drains of our fair home. Shit never flowed better after I was done, but did he give me so much as a thank you?" The old gentleman was imposing to look upon, and the cold, stone like visage belonging to the older Lannister made M'gann think of Bruce Wayne while he was in costume. She did well to hide that from Tyrion's curious gaze.

"I take it your father isn't a forgiving man." M'gann stated as more memories of Tywin's cruelty towards Tyrion played out behind him. While there were no examples of physical cruelty, the fact became painfully clear that there had never been any love between the two Lannisters.

Tyrion was surprised to find that the realization of his ability to control this strange mental realm as easily as his guide brought more a feeling of guilt than satisfaction. "That would be putting it mildly. I see I have managed to upset you twice in as many minutes. If time has any meaning here that is."

"It does, sort of." It'd be too complicated to explain to even to the sharp minded Lord, so M'gann didn't even try.

"Well, let's not waste it then shall we? I'll make you a fair bargain, a question for a question." Tyrion held up a hand at M'gann's doubtful expression . "Don't worry, I will be a perfect gentleman hence forth."

"Alright." She reluctantly acquiesced, but Tyrion knew better.

"Hmm, most curious. I believe you are very _not_ 'alright', judging from this truly mind boggling mix of emotions I'm feeling. I can only assume some of them aren't mine. Which means my earlier suspicions are right. This connection of yours works both ways, and while I doubt I could force my way into your head the way you've done with mine, it does provide plenty of back roads, as we both know by now." An image of what could only be described as some form of magical combat appeared behind the young woman as a very familiar red lightning was cast about a small group of people by a young boy. One of them had a strange blue armor that moved and melded to his form, another moved faster than Tyrion could follow, and yet another seemed capable of physical feats that made the Mountain look like a child by comparison. "Ah, fascinating, thank you for proving my point."

"Stop doing that!"

"Doing what exactly?"

"Being... you."

Tyrion blinked at that, oddly insulted by her request. "Oh. Well that might prove to be rather impossible. Shall we continue? Please, ladies first."

"What year is this?" M'gann said with an almost physical groan as she put a hand against her head in frustration at his irritating personality.

"We don't tend to worry over small amounts of time, all you need to know is that it is Summer currently, and has been for the past seven years." It didn't take him long to register the surprise on M'gann's face as his words sunk in. "I take it your seasons aren't quite as straight forward. Ah, four seasons that rotate throughout the year. And now you're thinking of multiple realities? My you are full of surprises. Wait, what is this orbital tilt concept? Ah...so we are on a rock spinning about a flaming ball of this 'hydrogen' gas that is our sun. All our learned scholars got it very wrong now didn't they?"

"Your ability to comprehend new information is astonishing."

"I might be many things M'gann, but slow witted is not one of them. I'm willing to cast aside doubt for the moment. If you believe these incredible things, so shall I." With the flood of vivid texts and images behind the strange woman anytime he asked about something new, he was quite certain that he was wrong to doubt her.

Suddenly she frowned as the flow of information behind her came to an abrupt halt. "You're already planning on using any information I give you to your advantage."

"As much fun as it might be to debate the finer points of how our world came to be like this, I wouldn't be believed by anyone. Such concepts are highly protected by the faith this world is known for, and thus it's better not to question too loudly. This idea of a magnetic compass however, that could prove most valuable."

"If Richard were here right now, he'd be ranting about how badly I've screwed up the 'Prime Directive' already."

"The belief that you've altered the destiny of our world by sharing too much with me?" Tyrion smiled as he delved deeper into her current line of thought before she could pull the plug on him again. "I must say, I do admire this Kirk character. Bedding different womanly species every night and saving the universe by day, sometimes at the same time. Speaking of different species, I see you aren't exactly being truthful about what you true lineage either." Once again, his ever changing thought processes had thrown M'gann's control off, and she had let slip something she had hoped he wouldn't have come across, ever. Clamping down on that particular thought, Tyrion was almost disappointed she buried it so thoroughly and completely before he could even get a good look at it. "You keep that deeply buried, but I can still sense how much you'd prefer to keep it that way even now. Keep your secrets M'gann, but I do hope you trust me enough one day to share it."

Changing the subject as quickly as she could, the next image behind her was that of the local stars around her corner of the galaxy. "We're not on Earth, or even in the Sol system."

Tyrion did the same as a view of the night sky appeared behind him a moment later, but his view wasn't outside a planet's orbit as M'gann's was. "Most definitely not going by your astrological charts. None of our stars match M'gann, and I have spent a lot of time staring at the night sky. I'm one of the few men that actually cares about such things I'll admit, but I have more time for frivolous pursuits than most. This upsets you too I see, but you also have a deep seated curiosity as well."

"And you didn't even have to read my mind." M'gann found herself at Tyrion's table once more, and sighed heavily as she looked at the stone floor between her feet.

Whether she realized that she was projecting the memories of her lonely childhood or not, Tyrion chose not to mention it. Despite the very different worlds they came from, he recognized prejudice and hatred of the unknown all too well. While again he was disappointed she didn't reveal her true form to him, appearing to still have enough of her concentration to hide that from him, Tyron decided he had seen enough of her pain as he chose his next words with care. "M'gann. If anyone can find a way back to your world, I am sure you and your friend will manage."

"I think that's enough for now." M'gann finally said as she stood to her feet again and turned her back to him.

He didn't need to sense her sorrow to see his words had devastated her hopes. "Are you sure? There is much more I would gladly share with you." Tyrion averted his gaze for a moment. "I have dashed your hopes of an expedient return home. I apologize for this. Zatanna is a powerful sorceress, but you fear now that you've seen my thoughts that her magic won't work in this world as it did in yours."

M'gann cocked a quizzical red eyebrow, as she gave Tyrion a look that reeked of pity. "You're actually being honest, and it scares you a little. That's... sad."

"Well, one might say I am my own sad little king of a sad little hill, so it fits I suppose."

"And you like to plagiarize too."

"Guilty as charged."

"I'm cutting the link now, are you ready?"

"M'gann, I would just like you to know I'm an admirer of paraphrasing as well." He started to speak in quiet sing song voice. "A coat of green, a coat of white, your beauty has no pause." Tyrion was gladdened when M'gann hesitantly smiled and nodded her head in appreciation at his choice of words.

Once more, a bright light flashed before his eyes, and he found himself back on his balcony in the real King's Landing. What he found surprising was that M'gann's presence in his mind lingered, and that he could feel a sense of trust that hadn't been there before. "So, what say you to a bit of breakfast? Oh? Maester Pycelle is gone. How long has it been?"

"Two hours. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up." Zatanna said with a shrug before noting the way M'gann instinctively moved closer to the little Lannister. "I take it he's not such a bad guy then?"

"No….but we have a problem Zatanna."

**Present Day.**

**Winterfell**

**Zatanna Zatara, M'gann M'Orzz, and Artemis Lian Crock**

"So that's why we never made it back." Artemis shook her head and considered banging her head against the table she, Zatanna, a disguised Megan, and their new friend had taken when they had been able to sit down at the welcoming feast. "Perfect. Just perfect."

Tyrion leaned closer to the distraught girl and reached to place a hand over hers before Zat shook her head sharply. "As I told your two wonderful friends, you are still alive and well. Not only that, but you've seen to adapted quite nicely to your situation my dear Arty."

Artemis's gray eyes snapped up in time to see Tyrion jerk his hand back. "Easy there Lannister. They can call me that, I only just met you." Even as she lifted the mug of ale that was in front of her towards her lips, the annoyed glare she shot to Tyrion never faltered.

"My apologies. It _is_ rather odd, to be fair." Tyrion merely shrugged in the face of her open hostility. "I have gotten to know you quite well without ever actually meeting you Artemis, thanks to your friends. They failed to capture your intimidating glare though, or the fascinating way your eyes sparkle when you're annoyed. Just like now."

"Then you know I could shoot you between the eyes at a thousand meters right? And I rarely miss." Artemis shot back with a smirk that most of the Stark men found intimidating.

"She hasn't stabbed me or punched me in the throat. I think she's beginning to like me." He said to the two on both sides of him before turning his amused grin back towards the blonde in front of him. "Listen Artemis, despite what you might think of my family, I'm not an enemy of your's or the Starks that you've fallen in with. Whether you wish my assistance or not, it will always be available to you."

"When I need a headache, I'll find you." Artemis countered, her dubious glare never softening in the slightest.

"Artemis, please, he really isn't such a bad guy." Zatanna said as she reached out to stop the archer from leaving the table. With a huff, she took her seat again and motioned for them to make their case. "I know you'll agree when I say Westeros is very different from anything we're used to."

"We know it couldn't have been easy for you." M'gann quietly said, as she glanced towards Zatanna before placing a hand on Arty's shoulder. "We had each other... and you had no one."

"What your overly sensitive friends are _trying_ to say is that they are relieved beyond belief that not only are you still alive, but you seem to have been just as blessed in the company you've fallen into as they are... And they did indeed have had each other, as many an ear rattling scream can attest." Tyrion didn't know what he found more amusing, the utterly shocked look on Artemis' face, or the deep crimson tint to his friend's faces as they tried to avoid eye contact with the archer.

From the way Artemis sputtered and coughed, having taken a drink from her glass again, it was all she could do not to spit her ale all over Tyrion. "You….and….M'gann have….seriously?!"

"I take it this is news to you." Tyrion chuckled until he found a carving knife wedged by his right ear as if Zatanna had pulled it from her sleeve. "If you're going to ruin perfectly fine cutlery, at least have the courtesy not to aim it at my chair."

Artemis looked ready to drag the man into a quiet storeroom for a little one on one interrogation. "The next one goes through your left eye if you don't start making sense."

"Noted. Well, I for one applaud their open mindedness and willingness to explore-"

"Not THAT." Artemis could barely keep her voice down as she gave serious thought to impaling the Imp's hand with another serving knife. Instead she turned to Zatanna and Megan next. "And you willingly spend time with this guy, on purpose? I'd have killed him the first week. Hell, maybe the first day."

"He _was_ a bit of a jerk at first." Zatanna admitted with a subtle grin thrown Tyrion's way before her grin disappeared a moment later. "But he did help us adjust to the political backstabbing that's common place among the high born of King's Landing. Everyone's trying to gain control of the Seven Kingdoms for their own ends, except for the Starks and the Tullies it seems. Everyone from the Boltons to the Baratheons have been at the Red Keep at some point or another, not counting Robert I mean."

Tyrion was quick to add his two coppers at that moment. "Yes, Winterfell must be quaintly peaceful in comparison to our glorious capital. And you already have a friend here! How utterly convenient for a point I'd like to once again-"

"You aren't persuading us to stay behind in Winterfell with Arty, Tyrion, so stop trying." Megan stated in such a way that even Tyrion gave up the argument. "We told you before we left to come here, we weren't about to abandon you after everything you did for us when we dropped in."

"I think I'm gonna be sick. You two _really_ like this guy." Artemis looked between her two old friends and readjusted her opinion of the Lannister dwarf in front of her. "Well, if they like you, then I guess you can't be that bad, for a Lannister. I can't believe I just said that."

"The same could be said of you Lady Crock."

"I'm a guard not a Lady, you can drop the charm act . You wouldn't get into my pants if it could save an entire planet."

"Really? And you've done such a fantastic job of saving your's too." At Artemis's dubious glare, Tyrion glanced at his two companions before shrugging his small shoulders again. "We had much time to talk over the last two years Artemis. I've learned quite a lot from these two, and I am most grateful you were on the right side during that nasty business with Savage and his group of miscreants." Holding up his hand again before Artemis could begin to protest, Tyrion met her steely gaze with a look that could almost be defined as sad. "I can't begin to imagine what it was like to fight your old friends Artemis, to hide behind Zatanna's sorcery to complete your mission as you did, but they have spoken quite highly of you despite what you were forced to do during that time. In that respect, we're the same. I do what I must to honor my House, but I am not my family, I am but a member of it, going through life in my own fashion, the same as you."

"Is there _anything_ you two didn't tell him about me?!" Artemis tersely whispered, her fists clenching in anger.

"Your favorite sexual position never came up despite several thorough attempts to learn your intimate preferences." Tyrion offered helpfully before Zatanna could stop him.

M'gann's eyes glowed for the briefest of moments when Artemis lunged across the table, only to suddenly change her mind and sit back down. "Be glad there's a crowd right now. Otherwise I'd happily gut you like a fish." Artemis said through clenched teeth as she got up from the table and stomped away.

"She'll remember that." Zatanna said when the main hall door slammed shut behind the archer.

"I hope so. If she forgets, be a good magician and remind her." Just as Tyrion started to get up from the table to talk with some of the men that were still gathered in the hall, a black blur brushed by right in front of him. "Another friend of yours I take it. Bart Allen I presume, and a member of the Night's Watch to boot." The blur that had blown by him turned around and stopped right in front of Tyrion, and he nodded as the doors opened again. It came as no surprise that Benjen Stark had followed the speedster to Winterfell, but before the First Ranger could so much as step through the door, Artemis had ran back in and all but tackled Bart.

"Easy there Arty! Choking, not breathing!" Despite his protests, the giant smirk on Bart's face was undeniable as he embraced the exuberant blonde in return about the same time Zatanna and M'gann joined in the group hug.

"Bart!"

"Actually it's Impulsivus Maximus now." Bart grinning at the dumbfounded look on their faces. "Kidding! Man if this isn't crashing the mode, I don't know what will!" Once he was able to slip free of his three old friends, Bart waved Benjen over and wasn't disappointed as the stern faced ranger held out his hand to Artemis first. "Arty, Benjen Stark, First Ranger and a good friend of mine. Benny boy, Artemis Crock, Zatanna Zatarra, and Megan Morse."

"I do believe you mean M'gann." Tyrion said with a subtle wink.

"It's an honor to meet you in person at last. I had heard rumors and stories from Allen for quite some time since he joined our Watch along the Wall." Benjen stated, ignoring the Lannister's snark completely as he firmly grasped their respective hands one by one, stopping in front of Artemis. "I can see why Ned has taken a liking to you now that I've seen you myself. A few vague messages did you no justice."

"Your brother's a very good man. I couldn't have asked for better." Artemis said without a moment's thought. _I like this guy already._

"I'm glad to see he hasn't forgotten his manners then." Benjen said with a smirk before he caught sight of Ned himself. "Excuse me." With his kind dismissal, Benjen shot Bart a subtle nod, which must have been a cue he could mingle as he liked while he talked with his brother.

"He's actually a nice guy when he isn't walking the ass end of the world. The cold up there makes it feel like summer here." Bart said once Benjen was out of sight amidst the crowd, having had the time to run to the banquet table, fix himself a plate, and run back to the group. "You look good guys. Especially you Arty. Oh, who's this?" Cheshire had chosen that moment to peek her head out from under the table, much to Tyrion's surprise since he could have sworn the direwolf hadn't been present before. "Is she a wolf?"

"A direwolf actually, and I call her Cheshire. She's about as sneaky as my sister too. And what's with the black outfit Bart?" She knew what it was, what it meant, but she had a feeling Bart would make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, being dressed all in black.

"Oh, this thing? Had to wear something after my old stuff wore out." Bart shrugged, as predicted, and continued to stuff his face faster than three men put together.

Tyrion leaned forward in mild curiosity, voicing what he knew the three women were already thinking about. "So, you've taken the oath then?"

"Not yet actually." To their shock and amazement, Bart lost the goofy grin and looked at them in a way that brought to mind the bleak future he had left behind. "I've seen some pretty strange stuff since patrolling the Wall, and I never would have said this before Klarion hit us, but there's something almost mystical about that place. It's not so much that I think it's haunted or anything, but I guess I just haven't found the right time to say the words and bind myself to the cause. And there is a real need for people out there, trust me. Why do you think Ben's here?"

"The deserter we ran down a month ago." Artemis supplied, earning a surprised glance from Bart. "Yeah, I was present for that. He was insane with terror. Was rambling about white walkers and looked all kinds of crazy."

Bart shrugged, as if he had expected as much. "Can't blame him for feeling the mode big time, major bad mojo happening north of the Wall. Wildings are running scared, you've seen a direwolf, have one following you around even, and we've been losing rangers left and right either because they see something out there or they go missing, never to be seen again. And if they are seen again….they aren't human anymore."

"What do you mean?" M'gann asked, having a feeling they weren't going to like the answer.

"I mean they come back as zombies. Blue eyes as cold as ice are the only thing they share, that and they don't have a pulse anymore. They were seriously moded, and they almost got me when I asked to go out there and find three of our missing crows. I found one, but half his chest was missing, opened up by a sword. I didn't see the rest until they started to close in on me."

"Oh please, don't tell me you three are taking this boy's grim fairy tale seriously?" Tyrion squirmed under a barrage of feminine glares. He was almost struck silent when Bart pulled his armor aside and revealed the old ax scar from the wight's swing. "I see I'm mistaken again... my apologies."

"That bad huh?" Artemis only received a hesitant nod from Bart before a cold shiver went down her spine. It only took a glance towards Zatanna and M'gann to see they were just as worried as Bart, but Tyrion didn't look convinced. "I take it you're not a big believer in the Night's Watch."

"No, I'm not. You know the stories Artemis, so I shall spare you the details. It's become a collection of the worst the Kingdoms has to offer, so it's little wonder that so few believe there are grumpkins and snarks and whatever other nonsense the old people of the realm like to tell unruly children. Still, seeing the Wall with my own eyes would be quite the diversion. Also, it might be fun to piss off the top of it while I'm there." Again, the three women gave him dubious glares while Bart almost choked on a piece of bacon from laughing so hard.

Artemis threw her hands in the air, not having the slightest clue why two of her closest friends would want anything to do with him. "I'll say it again, you _purposely_ spend time with him. Why?"

"Despite his rude and sarcastic veneer, he has a good heart underneath the armor he's forged against his sister and father." M'gann said without a moment's thought. "After spending time with his family, I can't blame him for hiding behind his sharp tongue and sharper wit."

"Daddy issues huh?"

"As I recall from many an interesting tale of attempted fratricide, you are an expert on that particular subject. _Arty_."

" _Was_ an expert. I haven't seen my folks since I got here." Despite her nonchalant response, everyone at the table could hear Artemis's teeth grinding together.

"And I'm sure you're quite happy to have avoided them for so long. I can only hope I may be as blessed one day." Tyrion told the young archer with a knowing grin. "Well, this has been quite a stimulating conversation, but I think I need to step outside. I have a strong urge to make the bald man cry."

Bart just stared blankly at the Lannister. "Huh?"

"I'm going to take a piss…" Tyrion said each word slowly as if speaking to a child, so his meaning didn't escape the speedster's understanding twice. "You really must pick up some of the local vocabulary if you don't wish to stick out like a sore cock."

"He'd know all about that." Zatanna muttered under her breath before shaking her head as Tyrion turned around and bowed at them before going outside. With an amused chuckle, Zatanna looked back to the people around her, a twinkle in her eyes. "He really isn't such a bad guy, but he doesn't do tact well. On the other hand, he's a dangerously clever man, so what he lacks in tact, he makes up for by understanding people and why they do the things they do. That's why we trust him so readily, because he wasn't afraid of us….after we explained ourselves."

"That was...my fault. I tried to interrogate him, but he ended up figuring out a way to manipulate my link in mere minutes and learned just as much about me as I did about him and Westeros in general." M'gann looked at the table in embarrassment and shame until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, ya did what you had to do Megan." Artemis stated before turning her attention to the head table, where Robert was currently lip locked with a serving girl. "Guess the stories about him are dead on. And his wife's just watching him go. Sheesh, and he calls himself a king? If he's supposed to be the guy in charge, we're in trouble."

"You have no idea how true that is." Zatanna stated as she shared a significant look with M'gann before leveling her gaze on Artemis. They knew it was bad news when the martian established their old link. _We have a pretty strong suspicion Jon Arryn was murdered, poisoned to be exact._

 _Yeah, from what I've heard, there's only a few_ _ **dozen**_ _people that might have wanted The Hand dead. And now Ned- Lord Stark is getting sucked into the political cesspool. He's a good man and he'll be dead in a month._ Artemis sighed heavily and didn't resist the urge to bang her head against the table this time. _Perfect._

M'gann was quick to stop her before Artemis could get herself worked up more than she had already. _No. Not if you can get him to trust at least me and Zatanna. We might be with Tyrion now, but we can try to protect him since you're in league with him. We might have spent two years apart, but your friendship is still just as valued by us now as it was before Klarion kidnapped us._

Artemis looked at M'gann strangely at her choice of words, but said nothing and kept her suspicions to herself as she nodded her head in thanks regardless. Something about M'gann's statement had sounded off, but she chalked it up to their time apart and having spent so much time with the dwarf. _Besides, she's my friend, surely she hasn't gone Lannister…._ That thought followed on the heels of a second when Cheshire gently nipped at her hand. _I'm one to talk about choosing sides._ She locked her paranoia in a box and buried it, determined to see her old friends as they had been before Klarion had dropped them in Westeros.

Zat rolled her eyes at the two women, while a confused Bart watched their facial expressions. _Enough with the worrying you two! This is a party, we should relax and catch up, not waste time complaining about a world we can do little to change. Besides, I want to see your buddy Ned before I go back to constantly look over my shoulder. Why don't you introduce us?_

"Um guys, I think you forgot to... you know." Bart tapped at his head, having expected M'gann to connect him to the mental link.

"Um Bart? You're all in black, and vows or not, I thought you aren't supposed to take sides?" Artemis carefully asked the young boy, not wanting to dampen his cheerful spirit. Even if she knew, _especially_ because she knew, it was his defense mechanism. When you were born at the end of the world, you took what comfort you could from the few people you could trust. He'd never had many of them in his life, and she wasn't about to make him think he'd lost the few he had left.

"Oh yeah….but when has that ever stopped us?" His beaming smile faltered slightly when no one responded. "We're always on each other's side right?"

"Of course we are." Artemis playfully hugged Bart against her with a smile, but it didn't quite reach her gray eyes. Only Zatanna and M'gann noted her hesitance, but like her, they didn't say a word about it. "Come on, might as well save Lord Stark from his guests." Artemis motioned for them to follow her to the head table, while plotting a course away from Robert just in case he made the mistake of making a pass at her. King or not, it wouldn't have stopped her from putting him on his fat ass. Only the few Lannister men between her and the table got in her way, but most of them were wise enough to avoid her when she narrowed her eyes at them. All of them except one.

"I see why everyone thinks you're a long lost relative of ours. Never thought I'd be surprised the rumors were true, but here you are." Jaime Lannister smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as he met Artemis's gray eyed glare without hesitation. "You certainly have our smug veneer down, I'd almost say you were a bastard of my father's, but the chances of that are about as good as a Dothraki not ass raping one of his slaves."

"Charming coming from you Kingslayer." Jaime shrugged but said nothing as Artemis cocked her head and crossed her own arms under her breasts. "Just had a nice chat with your brother Tyrion, I can see where he gets his sharp tongue from."

"Ah my dear brother. He has quite a few uses for that tongue of his, a fact he'll gladly brag about if you ask him. Me? I still have much to learn, but I think you'd find my skills more than sufficient. What say you Crock, care to go a few rounds?" Despite the dangerous edge to his smile, Artemis wasn't afraid of Jaime in the slightest.

"Depends, do you like having your pretty face broken?" Artemis ignored the restraining hand on her shoulder as she took a step closer to the smug bastard in front of her.

"I can see why Lord Stark likes you. It's refreshing to meet a woman with spirit, and a stubborn streak a mile long." Jaime raised his cup with a smug grin and a short nod of his head. "Or so I've been told."

"And what else have you heard about me Kingslayer?"

"That you rarely miss your man and that your family has quite the collection of thieves and assassins in their ranks. You must be in the wrong place if that's true, I thought the infamous Stark honor wouldn't abide that kind of thing to linger."

"I'm not my family, nor are they my crimes." Artemis shot back, just as fast as she loosed an arrow from her bow.

Jaime was taken aback by her surprisingly wise words, and his grin lost the dangerous edge to it as he nodded his head again. "Well said. Megan, Zatanna, and a member of the Night's Watch? You certainly have friends in strange places."

"Or exactly where I need them." Her smirking glare would have dissuaded most men by now, but Jaime Lannister wasn't most men.

"It's seems I have mistaken the keen mind that stands before me for yet another soldier. A pleasure to have met you Artemis Crock, I need not delay you further." Artemis tried not to roll her eyes in irritation as Jamie gave her a small bow. "Oh, if you find yourself in the capital, I'm sure I'll see you in the tournament. We could use an upstart like you shaking things up."

Despite the baited challenge to her pride that Jaime had no doubt phrased to wound her ego, Artemis was all too ready to put him on the defensive. "Count on it Lannister. I'll try not to gloat too much when I beat you."

"I'd like to see you try. People have been swinging at me for years, but they always seem to miss." Before she could come up with an appropriate comeback, Jaime had disappeared into the crowd, leaving her to grind her teeth in frustration yet again.

"I hate that guy." Bart succinctly summed up Artemis's feelings about Jaime Lannister before the archer pushed her way to where she had last seen Ned.

"Try living with him and his sister for two years." Zatanna muttered darkly before her frown disappeared when she and the rest of the group stood before Lord Eddard Stark at last, having just finished talking with his brother Benjen.

Having found him leaning against a pillar in the main hall, Artemis started the introductions. "M'lord, may I present-"

Eddard wave her off with a stern scowl. "How many times must I ask you not to call me that? No matter, so... these are a few of the courageous friends you so often spoke of eh?" Ned turned to glance at the trio standing next to her. "Let me guess. Zatanna Zatara, Bartholomew Allen, and M-Megan Morse, correct?"

"Bartholomew?" Bart quietly mouthed, the instant Stark took his gaze off him as Arty gently poked him in the ribs. "I mean, this feast is super crash your Lordness."

Arty held up a hand at the mix of confusion and amusement on Eddard's face. "Don't ask. It's just something he says."

"I can see why Artemis has stayed with you and your family Lord Stark. Your people have been very warm and inviting since our arrival." Zatanna said in turn, and no one doubted her genuinity. "It is a little colder than I'd like though."

"A common complaint, but you get used to it after a while." Robb had since stepped into the small gathering after seeing his sister to bed. "I must apologize for not introducing myself sooner. Being the eldest son makes for a busy host."

"Please, there's no need to apologize for being a good brother and son." M'gann quietly said as the man nodded to each of them in turn, his gaze lingering half a beat longer on the blonde archer next to her. "It's an honor to meet you. Artemis has been telling us about her stay here in Winterfell, and Lord Tyrion also had a lot of good things to say about your family."

"Did she tell you how we met?" Ned asked before Robb or Artemis could say anything about his true feelings toward the Lannisters. Besides, the withering glare the archer threw his way made him forget his mutual distrust of them as he laid out the verbal trap to ensnare poor Artemis.

"She failed to mention that Lord Starky." Bart was quick to bite onto the tasty bait Eddard had laid out for them. It wasn't everyday he had a chance to hear a potentially embarrassing story about Artemis.

"That's Lord Stark, _Bartholomew._ " Arty rapidly corrected him, casting Bart a deadly glare.

"It's alright Artemis, he meant no offense. Now, where was I? Ah, yes-" Ned's eyes seem to brighten slightly as he turned to Artemis with a feigned look of guilt. "Oh forgive me, would you rather tell them the tale of your arrival in Winterfell?"

"Not really. But I have a feeling you'll happily do it for me, or Robb will, so just get it over with Ned." Artemis grumbled and waved her left hand in apparent dismissal.

"Thank you. Now it probably won't come as a surprise to the lot of you that Artemis disposed of a truly evil man shortly after making his acquaintance." The guilt in Ned's eyes was all too real now as he leaned towards Artemis. "I suppose I am to blame for that."

"No you really weren't Ned." She was quick to say before he could dwell on it further. "But I do still carry a nice gift from that bastard." Artemis grumbled as she pointed to where the knife scar still resided. "Almost gutted me. Tell Ollie, and they'll never find your bodies."

"Artemis..." Ned stated in a chiding tone before continuing. "You know full well all those who enter my lands are under my protection."

"Why do you think I said it in front of you?" Artemis shot back, proving that she was just as gifted with double speech as any Lannister, a fact that wasn't lost on Zatanna or M'gann. She had wanted them to hear Ned's promise for themselves, and heard it they had. Whether or not her intent also succeeded in getting through, she couldn't say.

Eddard mimicked Artemis's posture as he crossed his arms over his chest and raised a curious eyebrow. "Who is this 'Ollie' fellow of which you speak? I don't recall ever hearing of him."

"Just finish the damn story. _M'lord._ " Artemis shot Robb a glare when he chuckled at her snarled comment, but the grin never left his face.

"As you wish. So, as I was saying before being interrupted yet _again_ , your gallant young friend was mortally wounded-"

"It wasn't that bad." Artemis muttered just loud enough to be heard by an amused Ned.

"Severely wounded then." Ned waited for Artemis' begrudging nod before continuing. "As I recall you had to sear the wound shut so you wouldn't bleed to death. That however let an infection grow and fester, but she beat it as she's beaten everything else thrown her way."

"Yup, and then you nursed me to health and offered me a home. End of story." Artemis waved her hand again, and tried to put her foot down on the topic at hand.

Ned wasn't done though, not by a long shot. "Now hold on. I think you skipped a few pertinent facts Artemis." The indignant annoyance in her gray eyes only made Robb's smirk double in size while Ned showed an honest to gods smile to the people around him. "She rudely left out the part where she almost slit my son's throat. She was delirious and terrified at the time, merely trying to defend herself from his clumsy attempts at reassuring her. Given the circumstances, I easily forgave her."

"I don't remember you being as forgiving about letting her take me by surprise." It was Robb's turn to grumble as he gazed at his father with renewed interest.

"Of course not." Ned sounded as if he was saying the most obvious thing in the world as he turned to M'gann, Zat, and Bart. "Say you three come across a scared, wounded girl, what would you do?"

"The same thing you did Lord Stark. Save her life." M'gann stated without hesitation. "But we'd probably make sure she wasn't armed."

"Exactly! Getting cut would be feeling the mode big time." Bart excitedly chimed in.

"She wasn't armed, trust me." Robb muttered and cleared his throat nervously as he avoided looking at the red tint to Artemis's cheeks.

"Oh, and you'd have to be careful not to let her grab anything sharp or pointy." Zatanna helpfully supplied, throwing a flirtatious grin towards Artemis.

She growled low in her throat at the continued ribbing. "Okay, you've had your fun. Now can we move onto something else already?"

"So, just let me get this straight." Zatanna pointed to Robb before flicking her gaze back to Artemis. "You stole his own knife and held him hostage with it. But he's still alive. Huh. Weird."

"Way to go Arty!" As Bart slapped her on the back, Artemis looked like she wanted to find a nice dark hole to crawl into and die.

Seeing the glaring embarrassment in her rosy cheeks, Robb quickly came to Artemis' defence. "I was the one at fault. I was impatient to tend to her when I should have focused on calming her fears first."

"At least he's honest." M'gann said before sharing another significant glance with Zatanna. "I'm truly glad you helped her m'lord. She is not quick to trust anyone, and I'm truly grateful you've seem to have made a positive impression with her."

"Yes, well... she's been a good friend to all in Winterfell." Robb's smile had gone, replaced by the stony face worthy of a Lord of the North. "We are all the better for her presence."

Hardly anyone noticed as a small girl forced her into the middle of the group. "Did you get to the part about her only wearing the skin she was born in?"

"Arya!" Artemis shouted, absolutely mortified, and immediately groaned when all eyes fell on her.

"Wait, what?" Bart's jaw dropped as understanding dawned on him. "Ohhh... I got that one. So not only did you hold Robby boy hostage with his own knife, you did it in the buff?! That's so epically crash Arty!"

"Excuse me. I'm going to find a spear to clean and then throw myself on it." If not for the fact she was pressed in on all sides by her friends, both old and new, Artemis would have been half tempted to do exactly that.

_End Notes; Vergil1989; This was one of the funniest chapters I've ever written. Tyrion Lannister is hilarious no matter what's going on._

_Archer83: What can I say? Tyrion is, by far, my favorite character to write for in this story. : ) On a small personal note, I would just like to give fair warning now to anyone reading this. It's a Game of Thrones fic, eventually the fun and games will come to an end, and the night will be dark and full of terrors._

_Vergil1989; Basically what he means is that we plan to stick to what makes GoT so awesome. The betrayals, the shifting alliances, the scheming, everything and everyone will appear in some form or another. And to top that all off, we will be throwing out the playbook for future events soon enough._


	6. Feeling the Mode

**30 Minutes Earlier**

**Winterfell**

**Bart Allen**

The two black cloaked men that walked into Winterfell, if it had been noted by anyone, would have been met with more than a few strange looks. For one, Benjen Stark was situated on the back of a horse, while his traveling companion easily kept pace with the First Ranger despite having ridden in at a full gallop. "No matter how many times I see you run lad, I never get used to it."

"Just one of my many awesome talents." Bart called back with a smirk and his green eyes alight with mirth behind his goggles, completely at ease with the pace they had set the whole way to Winterfell. "The boys on the Wall don't get it either, so don't feel bad Benny boy. What they do get is the fact that I'm far easier to deal with than Thorne."

"As much as I might hate the man, he has his uses. Although..." Benjen shrugged as they entered the main courtyard. "The bastard can't get messages to us in the blink of an eye, pull our men out of harm's way even faster, or cook a damn fine leg of lamb. And then eat the whole bloody thing."

Helping to tie Benjen's horse in the stables, Bart laughed and shrugged in return while Benjen dismounted. "Being the fastest man in Westeros leaves me with an appetite to match. It's one of the few downsides, but it could always be worse."

"That it could lad." Benjen replied with a smirk before he heard a noise over in the training yard. Without a word having to be shared, they changed direction and headed towards the source. It didn't take them long to see what was happening. "Is he dead yet?" Benjen cheerfully shouted before Jon Snow turned and saw who had called out to him.

Having been hammering away at one of the practice dummies in the yard with his sword, Jon had been completely consumed in the exercise since it gave him an outlet for his frustration. Being the bastard made for lonely company at times, especially during such an important event as welcoming the king and his family. But he forgot all about his problems when his eyes fell on his favorite uncle, temporarily forgetting the fellow ranger that had made the trip with him. "Uncle Benjen!"

They embraced tightly before Benjen smiled widely and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "You've gotten bigger I see." A gust of cold wind slammed into them as Benjen shook his head and sighed. "Trying to have a talk with my nephew here, Allen. Would you mind?"

"Mind what? Oh, you must be that cool bastard guy, Jon Snow." Bart cheerfully replied, finally noticing the young man Benjen had stopped to talk to. If he noticed the dark frown that appeared on Jon's face, the speedster didn't comment on it.

" _Now_ he gets a word right." Benjen muttered to himself as he threw his hands in the air. "You'll have to forgive my talkative friend here. His mouth moves 'bout as fast as his feet, yet his mind has a tendency not to keep up."

"And Benny boy still lets me hang with him. He's crash like that." Bart chuckled as he slapped a hand on Benjen's back, again ignoring the First Ranger's playful scowl as he turned to Jon next. "So, rumor has it you want to join the Night's Watch. Any truth to that Jonny boy?"

"You know, I'd prefer you hang by youself." Bart somehow missed the glare Jon sent his way before turning to Benjen. "And yes, there is. If you talk to father, I know he'll say yes."

Bart might not have understood what he had stirred up, but he recognized an urge to prove oneself when he met Jon's gaze even as he spoke to his uncle. Benjen knew it too and tried to cool his nephew's temper somewhat when he put a hand on his shoulder. "No bastard was ever refused a place there Jon, but you don't know what you'll be giving up. We have no families, none of us will ever father sons."

"I don't care about that!" Jon shot back before jerking his arm away from his uncle's grasp.

"If you _really_ knew what it meant, you wouldn't be so quick to give up the chance Snow." Bart shrugged though as he looked towards Benjen before turning back to Jon. "I don't have any experience either, but eh, to each their own. The point is, it's not an easy place to be day in and day out Jon. But it's your choice, I just hope you're making it for the right reasons."

"The lad's right Jon, but _it is_ your choice. I'll speak to Ned on your behalf. We'll speak more when I return. Come Allen, might as well save my brother from his guests." Jon nodded his head before turning back to the dummy, and it came as no surprise to either man that he had immediately gone back to pounding away at the wooden post for all he was worth. "He's no ranger." Benjen stated once they were out of earshot.

"No, but he could become one if he gets his attitude adjusted. You don't hit a dummy that hard without imagining someone's face attached to it. I know." Bart stated solemnly as they stopped at the main entrance to the great hall.

"You're like a bloody onion aren't you Allen?" Benjen asked, amazed by the shift from cheerful to deadly serious he had seen from the youth on a daily basis. The surprisingly wise man that had addressed Jon had since disappeared, but the First Ranger knew it was there, ready to come out again when he was needed. _Just when I thought I knew the lad, he pulls a fast one._

"What? Do I stink?" Bart made a show of sniffing at his own armpits, much to Benjen's amusement even if his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"You know what I mean lad." Benjen countered, and was just about to open the door when someone all but kicked it down. If not for Bart's quick movement, the door would have smashed into his face. All the First Ranger saw was a streak of golden blonde hair that disappeared into the darkened courtyard. "I take it that was one of your friends. Not many golden haired girls in Winterfell."

Bart was almost beyond words as he watched Artemis stomp out into the courtyard, and then pause as if something had occurred to her. "And she doesn't look happy. Let's leave her alone for a little while." The younger man rapidly fired off as he all but dragged the Ranger into the hall.

"Excellent plan Allen." To Benjen's mind, Winter had just ran out the door in all her feminine rage. The cold wind that had followed in her wake certainly didn't help, but he and Bart shook it off as they entered the hall together. Before he knew it, Benjen was standing in the entrance alone, and saw that Bart had ran ahead to a nearby table where two women and Tyrion Lannister were situated. While he had never met the man personally, he knew who it was just from the fact he was a dwarf, and that he was one of the most well dressed men in the hall with his expensive clothes and the gold rings on his fingers.

He didn't get a chance to dwell on it though as the same streak of blonde hair that had blasted by him earlier did so again, and all but tackled Bart to the floor. Benjen knew one thing for certain, if Winter had just left the hall, then Summer had ran back in as he walked over to an exuberant Artemis Crock and her friends. _I see Allen isn't the only one full of surprises._

**The next morning...**

"So ah, nice place Arty." Bart rubbed at the back of his neck nervously as he glanced around Artemis' quarters. Having taken a spot against the wall, he tried to stay out of her way as she gathered her gear, having seen the same routine while they had lived in the cave. He had made the mistake of slowing her down once, and he had not done it twice.

"Stop acting like I'm going to shoot you in the face or something." Artemis rolled her eyes as she finished checking her arrows over before stuffing them into her quiver, which she then slung onto her back. "'Sides, I'm still happy you decided to pop up when you did. It makes me hopeful the rest of the team's alive and well."

"Anyone hear from the others? Who knows if we all ended up here or not. The four of us might be it." Following Artemis out onto the walkway that overlooked part of the castle grounds, Bart didn't jump the balcony as she did. Instead he simply zipped down the stairs and was next to her by the time she stood to her full height again.

"I was hoping you had some good news to be honest. I haven't heard anything either. Maybe Zatanna or M'gann know something we don't." Artemis hoped so, she knew she could use some good news with this whole Hand business looming over their heads. "Actually, since it'd be better if it was just us, maybe no news _is_ good news."

"I suppose I could zip around the planet and do a quick search. Should only take me three or four months, if I'm thorough." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bart knew Artemis was going to shoot his suggestion down. He was almost relieved that she did, but he didn't say as much.

"No, as much as I might want you to do just that Bart, I'd rather you didn't take any unnecessary chances. Besides, it's enough for me to know the four of us are alright." It wasn't just the fact that she was afraid someone would take exception to the fact Bart could run faster than any man had a right to, but that Artemis was afraid of what he might uncover if he _did_ go out into the world to try and find the rest of the team. Even if he did manage to find some of them, the chances he would come back alive to tell her about it were almost nonexistent.

"Well, figured I'd offer at least. But, I have gotten sort of attached to these Watch guys. Everybody gives them crap and yet they seem to be the only ones actually doing anything important. Yeah it's cold as Antarctica up on that Wall of theirs, but I could think of worse places to be." He didn't have to say, and Artemis didn't ask what he was thinking about. She had her own nightmares to contend with, and she doubted Bart hadn't forgotten his own despite the change of scenery.

"Trust me Bart, I've had the same thought many times. Same problem." Artemis smirked as she gestured to the courtyard in general. It was still exceedingly busy with the King's men running to and fro, but it still felt like home to the archer.

Bart nodded his head in approval, having long since noted why Artemis loved Winterfell as much as she did. "Yeah. I can't blame ya Arty. You have a good life here, I wouldn't want to give it up either."

"Can't help feeling like I'm giving up on _them_ though." Artemis emphasized that point by kicking at a stray stick in her path, sending it rolling ahead of her several feet.

Taking his life, and his wrist, in his own hands, Bart slowly rested a hand on her shoulder. "Arty, we'll find them. I know we will. Then we'll plan our next move, like we always do."

To his surprise, Artemis grasped his hand gently between her fingers before turning her head to face him. "How do you stay so chipper all the time Bart?"

"Practice. And pie. Lots of pie." He happily told her with a big silly grin.

"Dork." Artemis chuckled despite the insult as she pulled away from the speedster, and led the way to the small godswood, as she did every morning regardless of what was going on. She was surprised to see that Zatanna and M'gann were already there, having stopped in front of the massive white tree with its face carved into the bark. "What are you two doing here?"

"Eddard Stark pointed us this way. Now I see why he did." Zatanna stated as she ran a hand across bark, her hand coming away sticky with the sap that seemed to bleed out from the eyes and mouth. Even the color matched, but the smell didn't as she brought the small drops of tree sap up to her nose. "Hmm, I can see why you like it back here though. This place has an air about it not felt anywhere else on the castle grounds."

"It's...almost like this tree is looking at us. I'm not sure if I like it or not." M'gann shivered at the thought, still unnerved by the odd sensations this place elicited in her.

"You and Catelyn both feel the same way M'gann, but me? I've always felt at peace in this godswood. Don't ask why 'cause I couldn't explain it to you, but I fell in love with this place from the first time I walked through it." Leaning against the tree itself, Artemis crossed her arms and looked down into the small pond that was right in front of the heart tree. The pool gave off the occasional puff of steam from the natural hot springs that ran throughout the grounds of Winterfell, but Artemis paid it no mind as she looked towards her three old friends. "You never answered my question."

"We just wanted to talk Artemis. Last night didn't give us as much time as I'd have liked, that and there were a lot of people around, Tyrion included." That got Artemis's attention as she met Zatanna's gaze. "We might have known him since we got here, but we've known you a lot longer."

"I am so throwing that in his face the first chance I get." Artemis grinned widely as she imagined the insulted look on the Imp's face when she did drop that on his lap.

"Arty..." Zatanna rolled her eyes and frowned at the archer. "Can't you be a little more serious?"

Artemis' demeanor changed in an instant. Gone was the cheerful look in her gray eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, you want serious? I can understand why Bart never searched for us, he had people counting on him just to survive." Arty gave the younger man a look of admiration, which vanished as she turned back to M'gann and Zatanna. "Why did it take both of you two damn years to find me? I could understand if you had been alone M'gann, but you Zatanna have that locator spell. You could have found me at the very least."

"I didn't exactly see you knocking on our door either. Here I thought you had all this great assassin training. You couldn't even find us a few hundred miles away." Zatanna shot back before M'gann could say a word in her own defense. Putting her hands on her hips, the magician leaned forward and glared daggers at her blonde counterpart. "As for my locator spell, I was lucky it worked when I used it to find the Injustice League, and that was with a holographic map of the entire world right in front of me. No one has a completely accurate map of this world, or haven't you noticed the chamber pots they use for toilets?"

"Oh I noticed, I almost died because these people have about as much medical knowledge as your average witch doctor." Artemis growled before stomping over to the magician, only to stop when they were eye to eye. "And sorry for not dropping everything to go traipsing through this backwards shithole where women are treated like second class citizens, fit only for cooking and bending over a barrel! Being dead wouldn't have helped anyone either!"

"Um... why don't we just relax for a sec, everybody is totally feeling the mode right now and-" Bart tried to step in between the two enraged women, only to land on his backside as them shoved him away.

"SHUT UP!" Artemis and Zatanna shouted before they returned to glaring at each other.

 _ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!_ M'gann shouted in their minds, separating Zatanna and Artemis a moment later with a mere wave of her hand. "Is this how we fall apart?! We turn on each other just because we haven't seen each other in two years?! The Light tried to tear us apart once, and they failed, yet time is going to succeed where they didn't?" M'gann let that sink into their heads before dropping them to the ground and continuing, her voice growing more emotional by the second. "Is that what I'm getting out of this?! We should be HAPPY! We should be falling to our knees in gratitude! Not fighting like a bunch of spoiled children! I miss everyone too! I want them to be alright too! But you don't see me pointing fingers! You don't see me uselessly arguing over the past!"

"Um... I'll come back later…." Arya hesitantly took a step back when four sets of eyes fell on her and the direwolf pup that trailed behind her. "I should go..."

"Arya, it's alright. We were just...being stupid." Artemis all but whispered as she looked away from an equally ashamed Zatanna.

"Most grown ups act that way, so I'm not surprised." Bart was surprised by Arya's courage despite having been present for the worst argument he had ever seen between the team. Not only did she not run as fast as her legs could carry her, she closed the distance to Artemis and was soon by her side. "You should really apologize. Father always says that arguments between men can always be settled with patience and time, but things not said, or imagined slights, can fester and blacken the soul."

All of them blinked owlishly at the surprisingly deep and wise words the young girl had just spouted. Even Artemis was slightly taken aback by Arya's comment, but she was glad she had decided to appear when she had. "If you need the reason as to why I stayed here instead of either tracking everyone down, or dieing in the process, you just got it." Artemis held out her hands in exasperation. "I can _trust_ these people. I can be honest with them and they don't stab me in the back for it. Can you say the same of the Imp and his psychotic family?"

"His family, or us Artemis?" Zatanna asked pointedly, but sighed as she nodded her head in defeat. "That was harsh….harsher than I meant it to be, but it's still a valid question Arty. Besides, it took your dad and sister giving you a ride to Santa Prisca to get you to admit anything about your past. I understand why you didn't come out about it, but we would have still accepted you."

"I know that now." Artemis grumbled, having gone back to looking at the pond nearby.

"Then why Arty? Why don't you trust us now?" Zatanna whispered, barely heard over the the sound of the cool morning breeze.

"Because she was afraid we had changed as much as she has. And not just for the better, like she did." Bart solemnly stated, just as M'gann had been about to say something similar. "We all _have_ changed. I've been here just as long as you, and I know I'm not the same person I was two years ago." A pale, sarcastic imitation of Bart's usually cheerful attitude reasserted itself. "For one, I don't have nearly as many Reach related nightmares anymore. Those got replaced by being chased down by dead guys with glowing blue eyes." He shrugged and smirked, even if he was being partially serious about the wight related nightmares that had started after his near brush with death.

"Hmm. Maybe you should all talk with Maester Luwin. He's better at listening to people's whining, I mean problems, than I am." Arya stated as a small grin appeared on her face.

"We are being kind of whiny aren't we?" Zatanna grinned down at the little Stark girl and sighed, seeing that Artemis agreed with her from the small smirk on her face. Holding out her hand to the archer, Zatanna offered an apology before asking a question. "Still friends?"

"You better believe it Zat. And thanks Arya, you made us feel like a group of idiots, which was exactly what we needed." M'gann giggled into her hand about the same time Bart shot them a beaming smile.

Arya looked quite smug for having pulled them together again, with M'gann's help, but she wasn't about to tell them that. "You're welcome. Come on Nymeria, let's find you a nice stick."

It was only after Arya had disappeared that Zatanna addressed her friends again. "Did we just get shrinked by a nine year old girl? Because that's what it felt like."

Bart held out his hands with a satisfied grin. "Hey, I'm not complaining about a little girl crashing the mode. Just glad I didn't have to tie you two up or anything until you came to your senses."

"Tie us up? Really Bart? I didn't know you were that adventurous." Bart pulled at the collar of his heavy cloak and chuckled nervously as all the blood went to his cheeks at the less than subtle insinuation Zat had just directed at him.

"I didn't know it was possible for him to look so cute." M'gann chuckled as she floated over to his side and playfully ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, you'll find someone right for you one day Bart."

"Gee thanks M'gann." With a sigh, Bart was about to run to another part of the castle, but it was about that time that one of the direwolves that always followed the Stark children around started barking in the distance. While that in itself wasn't unusual, it was the frantic note to its cries that got his attention. "I think there's trouble."

"Let's move! Bart go!" Artemis shouted, having already taken off like a shot from her bow. She didn't miss a step as the speedster zipped away the next moment before he returned two seconds later. She only took a moment to look at his face, but it was enough for her heart to drop to the pit of her stomach. Following his trail as he stopped every dozen feet, just out of her reach before she and the others caught up, it didn't take them long to reach the source of the disturbance. What she saw made Artemis skid to a stop before her legs buckled beside Theon Greyjoy and the bundle in his arms.

"I-I just looked up and saw him falling and-" Theon broke down in sobs as he stared at the gravely injured Bran held in his arms. "He landed right in front of me!" Gone was his usual sneering and sarcasm, replaced by utter desperation and fear.

M'gann and Zatanna were the first to actually do something as they knelt on either side of the boy as Theon suddenly lost his grip and was forced to set Bran flat on the ground. M'gann didn't care if he had seen her eyes flash green as she gently lowered the injured child to the ground while Zatanna raised her right hand to the sky and sent a red streak of light out of her open hand. The orb exploded, showering the area in crimson light, clearly marking their current position. "That should get somebody's attention."

"Maester Luwin's already been informed, but I might have given him a stroke." Bart was icily calm about scaring the old man with his sudden appearance, but he hadn't considered it a problem considering what was happening. His stoic green gaze never wavered from the boy as Zatanna did what she could to stabilize Bran's condition.

Ignoring the astonished look on Theon's face at the light show Zatanna put on as she cast another spell on Bran himself before she slumped over in exhaustion. She turned to Bart and Artemis while M'gann kept her upright. "There, we can move him now, but the damage was severe. There might be spinal injuries, definitely a concussion, but its his legs that have me concerned. They're shattered, and it'd take several operations just to get him able to use them again at a later date. I'm not sure I can do it."

"There isn't a modern hospital in a billion miles." Artemis said, angrily pointing towards the sky. "You're all Bran's got."

"I'll do what I can. Just give me time." Zatanna promised about the same time Maester Luwin, Ned, and even Robert himself ran towards the tower.

"What happened here?!" Ned shouted, having since turned to Artemis and her friends. "Artemis! What happened?!"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Before anyone could stop her, and no one was about to make the mistake of getting in her way, Artemis stormed off. An out of breathe and concerned looking Jaime Lannister joined them a few moments later.

"Where have you been Kingslayer?! Nevermind, you, help search the grounds. Someone's head will be leaving their body if I find anyone at fault for this!" Robert roared before his gaze softened as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll find out what happened here Ned. It's the least I could do for what I'm asking of ya, what I've asked of you before." Jaime rushed off towards the nearest group of guards as Ned carefully took the wounded boy in his arms. Robert wasn't surprised Ned didn't say so much as a word before carrying his boy away to be taken care of by Maester Luwin. _Gods I need a drink._

**That night...**

**Artemis Crock**

Catelyn Stark had taken the news the hardest of them all, right behind Ned, and not so surprisingly, Artemis. Despite Zatanna's best efforts, his legs were still in pretty bad shape, but what was more troubling was that he hadn't woken up. He was trapped in a coma, an endless sleep that Maester Luwin believed would last for quite some time. M'gann was forced to agree with him, there was no telling how long he might remain this way, but she had wisely not said as much in front of the grief stricken Catelyn Stark.

"He never falls... never so much as slips. This can't have been an accident." If Catelyn had heard Artemis's words, she gave no indication she had.

"I'm afraid it does indeed look as if the boy fell by accident my Lady. We searched the tower, inspected the outer walls, and found nothing suspicious except for a few loose stones." The tension in the room was palpable as Jaime finished his brief report.

"Surrounded by Lannisters. Go Kingslayer. You aren't doing anything but taking up space." Robert growled out at his wife's brother, paying him no further attention as he turned back to Ned and his assembled family. "Much as I hate to say it Ned, he's right. Didn't find anything to say the boy didn't merely lose his grip."

"Are you calling me a liar your _Grace_?" Catelyn spat out, glaring at Robert for a moment before turning her worried gaze back to her gravely wounded son.

"No Cat, all I'm sayin' is, it does look like it was merely an accident. But if someone was responsible, I will find out who did this and make them answer for it."

"Like how you answered to that serving wench last night?" Artemis growled out through clenched teeth, earning her a glare from Robert and a smirk from Jaime. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword before Robert waved him off with a look of disgust.

"Guess the whispers I heard from Varys about you were spot on. Yes, I pay attention to what happens in my realm, despite what you might think about me woman. You're lucky Ned Stark favors you so, or else I'd have half a mind to slap some sense into you."

"You'd have to catch me first. And it's hard to hit someone with two broken hands. Course, that's why you have Ser Illyn Payne on your payroll I imagine. You don't have to dirty your own fat hands."

Robert pointed at her and shook his finger. "Oh I like her Ned. She has more balls than most of these blonde cunts I'm surrounded by. If I were you, I'd give her her weight in silver to keep her around."

"I don't have to be paid to follow the Starks. I'm not some spineless sellsword, like most of the people in your court."

"You have no idea how true that is about most of the fools that come to me. And not paid eh? What then? Ned's charming personality is it?"

"They saved my life, you fat fuck." Artemis shot back, having managed to fill her voice with so much venom that it practically rolled off her tongue.

Even Catelyn temporarily forgot her grief at the heated words that were being exchanged over her son's bed when Robert threw his head back and gave out a short laugh. "Ha! I knew it! Leave it to Ned's bleeding heart to snare him the best fuckin' archer this side of the Vale."

"If you don't mind me saying so, I doubt she's among the top hundred." Jaime knew of only a handful of archers that could compare to the Starks' impudent little blonde, but he didn't get a chance to say anything more.

"I do mind. Now shut the fuck up and get out Kingslayer." Robert shook his head at the departing Lannister before turning back to Ned and the Starks gathered around Bran's bed. "I wouldn't blame ya for wanting to stay here a few more days Ned, just don't keep me waitin' too long. I need you down there in the south, instead of lingerin' here where you're no damn good to anyone as I told ya the other day. Cat, Artemis, take care of the boy. Rather not give ol Ned here more of a reason to look like he has a frozen tree branch up his arse."

"How generous your Grace." Only Arty caught Ned's almost imperceptible tick. Once Robert had slammed the door to Bran's room behind him, only then did Ned put a hand on his wife's arm. Artemis wisely left as Catelyn turned and started to sob against him.

Artemis started to pace the narrow hall like a trapped tigress before her eyes snapped up and she paused mid stride. An idea had hit her as surely as a thunderbolt, and she planned to pursue it. _M'gann, where's Tyrion?_

 _He's... entertaining someone right now._ M'gann hesitantly replied about the same time a feeling of slight embarrassment filtered through the link.

A fuming Artemis stomped towards the closest stairwell with a clear destination in mind. _My friend's son almost got killed and all your perverted little 'master' cares about is getting laid?!_

 _He's_ _ **not**_ _our master._ The martian shot back hotly, not about to be accused of sleeping with the supposed enemy. Especially not by someone she had thought was one of her closest friends.

 _Certainly looked that way to me. Is he going to be 'entertaining' you and Zat next?_ There was just a hint of regret attached to the thought as soon as it left Artemis' head.

Zat had had enough by then and was ready with a snappy comeback. There was no mistaking the angry tone to her thought. _I'm sorry, who was it that's been trying to heal Bran to the point of dropping dead on their feet?_

Sighing in exhaustion and resignation, Artemis looked down at the stone floor between her feet before 'voicing' her next thought. _Kick whatever whore is dropping her panties for Tyrion out of his bed. I need to talk with him. Privately._

Even M'gann was beginning to get frustrated by this point. _Talk, or beat him until he's black and blue? You're too emotional to be interrogating anyone Artemis._

 _You have until I get to his chambers to get out of my way._ The fact she had just outright threatened two of his closest friends flew over Artemis' anger clouded mind as she took the stairs two at a time.

 _We'll be waiting._ The fact that they sounded almost sad as the link was cut didn't help Artemis's mood in the least. If anything, it only made her urge to hang Tyrion from the nearest window by his ankles and use him for target practice all the stronger.

She knew that Zatanna and M'gann were right to try and get in her way, but the rational part of her mind had long since taken a backseat to the rage at what had transpired earlier that day. "Are you alright Artemis?"

She was brought up short by Robb's sudden appearance, but she shook off her surprise and went for the nearest exit from Winterfell's quarters devoted to the Starks themselves. "I'm fine."

"Now I know you're lying. Everyone always says they're 'fine'. I once told father I was perfectly 'fine', right after I fell off my horse and nearly broke my arm." Without thinking about it, Robb laid a hand on Artemis's shoulder and spun her around to face him. "I know you want to find the truth of what happened to Bran, but going off half strung like this will only make things worse Artemis."

If it had been any other man, besides Ned himself, manhandling her like this, Artemis would have snapped their wrist. As it was, she gave Robb her best steely glare. "I don't-"

"No, you do care Artemis, that's why you feel so strongly about this. He's my brother, do you think I don't want to find out the truth as badly as you?!" Lord Robb Stark didn't have to yell to get his point across. His death grip on her arm slackened before his hand fell to her wrist. "He didn't fall, I know that much, and I know you do as well. But going after the Lannisters will not help our case, not without proof that the king can't deny. The wolf can't stand alone, you know that better than most."

"I'm no wolf. Tigers don't hunt in packs." Artemis didn't have to raise her voice either as she jerked her hand away from his grip, but Robb noted the hesitence behind the action.

"Maybe not, but neither can they live in solitude all their lives." Robb knew he had gotten through her thick skull when he saw her face fall and tears start to collect at the edges of her gray eyes.

"Your father asked me to watch over your family….and now Bran's holding on by a thread." Artemis looked up so quickly, Robb almost wondered if she hadn't hurt her neck. "Why do you go out of your way like this Robb?"

"Because you're only one woman Artemis, and you can't be everywhere at once. You've always done the best you could by us without complaint."

"Thank you. I-I'll let you go see Bran. Excuse me." Artemis didn't get two feet before Robb stopped her.

Not wishing to push his luck, Robb stared down at the confused archer and slowly took his hand off her shoulder. "I visited him earlier, but I wasn't here to see him now. I came to find you. I was... worried."

"Worried?" Artemis made that one soft spoken word sound like the most grievous of insults.

Robb just sighed and ignored a glare that would have sent most men running in the other direction. "Yes worried. I had a feeling you'd hold yourself responsible for this, and I was right. You're not alone Artemis, you haven't been since you've become a part of our lives. Always remember that. You aren't a Stark by blood, but you might as well be one in name." Artemis blinked, and before she knew it, Robb had started to turn around and head out the nearby door. Stunned and rooted to the spot, she let him leave, but when she recovered from what he had just said to her, Artemis wiped at her eyes and felt a small smile tug at the corners of her lips.

Leaving through the nearby door, Artemis made a beeline for the guest quarters. She had some apologies to make.

**The next morning...**

Arya Stark had disappeared into the godswood, but it hadn't taken Artemis long to find her. For one, she had felt the urge to run into the forests herself the moment she could, but her duties had come first. Besides, her drive to find the truth of what had happened to Bran hadn't prevented her from searching the tower from top to bottom once things had settled down. But when she had found nothing, Artemis had retired to her quarters and fell asleep the moment her head had touched the pillow.

The next morning, her mind felt clearer and her blind drive to make someone pay for their crimes had given way to her rational mind, and it was just in a nick of time as Jory found her. He had told her Arya had been missing since early that morning, and Artemis had only nodded before getting ready for the day. And now she was here, standing beneath the tree the small girl had hidden herself away in the higher branches. "They say Bran won't wake up. That he might not ever wake up." The girl quietly whispered when she saw Artemis standing below her.

"That's not true Arya. Bran's just as stubborn as his father and brothers, he'll pull through."

"How do you know? How can you be so sure?" While her biting words were aimed to hit bone, Artemis took no offense, knowing she had said far worse for far less.

"Because. M'gann told me so. M'gann that was your cue..." Artemis slapped her arms against her sides in annoyance.

 _Sorry Arty. Don't worry, you aren't going crazy or anything, this is just a very special secret we wanted to share with you Arya. And Arty's right, I can't tell you when Bran will wake up, but I know he will. Eventually._ Gone was the hostility that had been present the day before. Whatever cracks had started to form between them had since disappeared, partly from having slept off the worst of their collective raw emotions, but also because they had talked things out as Arya herself had suggested. _It's really just a matter of time and-_

Bart, as predictable as ever, was quick to interrupt their favorite martian before she dug herself a bigger hole. _M'gann, you're scaring her Snarkiness. Hey there Arya! Pretty neat trick huh?_

 _Bart, you're not supposed to be- oh hello Arya. We're not handling this well at all are we?_ Zatanna sighed in embarrassment at having no doubt made things worse.

 _Um NO!_ Artemis shouted with an audible groan as she put her hand against her forehead.

 _WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VOICES IN MY HEAD?!_ Four sets of hands involuntarily slammed over four sets of ears as Arya did her best to mentally deafen them. _WHY IS MY VOICE SO LOUD?!_ It wasn't hard for them to pick up on her confusion and fear, the young Stark girl practically reeked of it. _WAIT...HOW AM I TALKING WITHOUT MOVING MY LIPS?!_

 _Geeze that girl can yell! I thought you had a big mouth M'gann._ Bart was quick to change tactic when he felt M'gann's annoyance filter through the link. _Right right, it's uh….kind of complicated your Starkyship, but uh-_

 _It's a special talent only I possess, but it has saved us a lot of trouble where we came from._ There was a collective mental wince as Arya began to speak again, but M'gann cut her short. _Arya, just pretend you're whispering. It'll get easier, trust me, and if not me, Artemis. Has she ever steered you wrong before?_

Artemis was quick to jump in before the young girl could get a word in edgewise. _Don't answer that._

 _YES. I mean, yes? This is so strange..._ Arya shouted, before following M'gann's advice and finally figuring out how to moderate her volume.

 _Arya..._ Artemis grumbled mentally and audibly as she shot a glare up at the smug look on the girl's face.

She shrugged before she told the rest of Artemis' friends what had happened. _You told me the ale wouldn't make me sick when I drank the entire mug._

 _Bet you didn't do that again did you?_ Bart snickered to himself.

Artemis didn't have to see the indignant sneer on the young girl's face to know she wasn't particularly grateful for that learning experience. Her tone said it all. _No, I was throwing up all night. Mother wasn't happy with her for the rest of that week, even though the 'lesson' worked._

 _I don't know what's more amazing, the fact you did that to her Artemis, or the fact Catelyn didn't hang you out to dry._ Zatanna chuckled low in her throat as she imagined the dirty look Artemis would have no doubt been throwing her way if they were face to face at that moment.

Artemis barely kept her less than pleasant thoughts to herself as she quickly interrupted the others attempts at 'reassuring' Arya. _Awesome pep talk guys... mind if I take over now?_

 _Oh. Sure thing Arty._ Artemis shook her head at M'gann's good intentions before looking up at Arya's shocked face.

 _Bye Arya! Nice talking with you!_ Bart managed to squeeze in before M'gann cut him from the link.

Artemis somehow resisted the urge to bang her head against the trunk of the tree as she sighed instead and threw her hands into the air in frustration. "Perfect. And now you probably think we're a coven of witches or something. I told M'gann you'd probably freak out. You're just a little girl after all. It's not a big deal, having her in your head like that, but I guess it would be a bit weird at first." It hadn't even dawned on the archer to warn Arya first about the strange sensation of having your mind linked to another person, let alone hearing them. Or so it would appear to Arya.

To Artemis's hidden glee and admiration, Arya jumped down and glared up at the archer in irritation. "I'm not stupid just because I'm a girl." She grumbled before plopping herself down against the tree trunk. "If you say it's alright, I'll believe you. It was a bit strange though. And of course I won't tell anyone, so don't bother asking." Before Artemis could say anything further, Arya crawled into her lap and leaned her head against her right shoulder. "Bran's never going to walk again is he? He won't be able to ride a horse, shoot a bow, or be a knight like he always wanted."

"I don't know what might happen Arya." Artemis said at last after hugging the girl with her left arm. "I just know they will try to do everything they can do help him before the King goes back to the capital. And thanks for reminding me that they _are_ my friends still Arya."

"You're a moron if you couldn't figure that out on your own."

 _Arya, I just wanted you to know that Bran probably_ _ **will**_ _be able to walk again, once he wakes up, but he'll have to work at it everyday._ Arya could hear the smile in Zatanna's voice as she chuckled lightly. _And good one Arya, but Arty's not a moron, just really thick headed._

Arya understandably hadn't heard a word past Zatanna's declaration that Bran would be able to at least walk again, provided he woke up first. _Really? Thank you Zat, thank you so much!_

 _You got it kiddo._ Zatanna's sense of satisfaction was palpable as she left the link, most likely to get some much needed rest.

Having disentangled herself from Arya's grasp in the meantime, Artemis stood up and pulled out a small bundle she had kept on her belt until that moment. Now seemed a good a time as ever after Zatanna's good news. "You know, I had something for you, but now, I think I'll just give it to Cheshire as a nice chew toy. I can't possibly compare to _Zat_. When did you start calling her that anyway?"

"What?! I mean, Tyrion told me too, and I take it back, you're not a moron! You're _really_ kind and generous!" Arya curiously eyed the bundle that Artemis kept shifting from side to side behind her back.

"Now you're just kissing my ass. I'm short tempered and arrogant, I'll give you that. Catch." Artemis smirked as Arya's hand shot out and caught the package before pulling the cloth away. The widening grin on her face was all she needed to see as the custom made hand crossbow was revealed, alongside a collection of small wooden bolts to go with it. "You've earned it kid. Just don't shoot Mordane, or I'll never hear the end of it."

"Will you teach me to shoot it?! I'm sure father won't mind."

Artemis rolled her gray eyes at the now gleeful young girl. "Yeah, he'll be ecstatic. It's like a regular bow, you just point and pull the trigger instead of releasing the string by hand. But sure, I could give you a few lessons until you get the hang of it." Watching her turn it about, examining the collapsible sides to the 'bow' itself, Artemis nodded her approval when Arya figured out how to collapse it to a miniature size for easy storage before flipping the lever the other way. "I had to help Mikken make it, but between the two of us, I think we did a pretty good job. How's it feel in your hand Arya?"

"It's heavy, but it's so small." Turning it this way and that, Artemis couldn't have helped the smirk on her face at the girl's wonderment if her life had depended on it.

"It'll get lighter as you get stronger. Trust me, I know. Just be glad I'm not making you punch a bowl of water." Artemis eyed the pond behind them, half tempted to start Arya's first lesson right now.

Arya followed her gaze and gave the pond a dubious look. "How can you punch water?"

"That's what I asked. You know what my friend Ollie told me? It's not so much you're hitting the water, it's the motions associated with it. Three days later, and I was able to pull back the string on his bow, and his bow has a pretty strong pull to it. At least ten times the draw strength of yours." Before Arya could wonder just what she was made of to pull that trick off, Artemis motioned to the hand crossbow in her grasp. "Go on, see if you can string it properly."

Arya grasped the string with her fingers and barely moved it back half an inch before it snapped back to its original position. "It's too tight!"

Artemis only nodded her head, having expected as much. "I didn't get it the first time either when I was given my first hand crossbow. There's a speed loader on the bottom side. Try that until you can do it by hand. And you _will_ do it by hand. Loaders break. Fingers at least can heal….in most cases."

Arya looked at the small weapon in her hand less as a wondrous new gift and more like a deadly python wrapped around her arm. "Arty...I-"

Artemis reached forward to take the crossbow out of her hand with a look of disappointment. "It's okay Arya, I should have known you were too young for a _real_ weapon. I could get Mikken to make you a nice doll instead." As predicted, Arya jerked the crossbow away from Artemis's reach and shot her a dirty look before going for the tool attached to the weapon itself.

"I'll show you who deserves a damn doll." With a good amount of effort, Arya managed to use the hook like device to lock the bow string behind its firing pin.

"Nice job. But if I see you put your other hand in front of that string again, it _is_ going to be Cheshire's new chew toy. Crossbows are just as dangerous as a regular bow, more so since there's a lot more tension on the string. One slip and you'd sever every finger on your free hand off." Mostly likely Arya would only break a finger or two but Artemis wasn't going to tell her that.

"I'll be careful." Arya promised with a quick nod of her head.

"Good. One last thing, _never_ point that at someone when it's loaded. Putting your eye out is the least of your worries. If it's loaded, anything you aim at is something you intend to kill." Artemis was surprisingly grateful when Arya dutifully nodded her head, and carefully set the weapon down before wrapping her small arms around the elder archer's waist.

"Thank you Arty."

"Don't mention it. You've been easier to teach than Bran by far, but even if you weren't so naturally gifted, I'd have been proud to have you as a protege back home. Now go on, stop hugging me and grab a bolt. I know you're dying to try this thing."

Something in Arty's voice caused the younger girl to stare up at her accusingly. "Have you?"

"Only a few dozen times." At Arya's annoyed glare, Artemis grinned and shrugged. "What? I had to make sure it was safe."

"Long Lost Lannister!" Arya cursed before picking up the bolt pouch that had been on the ground at her feet.

Artemis managed to keep a straight face as she scowled and did her best impersonation of Cersei Lannister. "Well then Lady Underfoot, I shall take my awesome gift and leave in a bitchy huff. Good day, impudent little Stark."

"That's just scary." Artemis barely moved an inch before Arya snatched up the crossbow. "Jaime was right, you _could_ have been a Lannister."

"Be glad I'm not. Could you imagine the size of the stick that would have to be up my ass to prance around like they do?"

"On the bright side, you'd always have a spare bow handy."

"I see you've been practicing your snarky comebacks. Not bad Arya." Artemis grinned and nodded her approval again, having been taken aback by the girl's clever comment. "Alright, let's get this show on the road already. See what you can do with that." Pointing to the crossbow, Arya finally turned and raised the weapon with both hands towards a small sapling. "Hmm, maybe I _should_ have gone with punching water first. You should only be using one hand to aim and fire, but we'll work on that." Artemis waited till just after Arya had pressed the release and yelped in surprise to remind her of two important facts. "You might want to load a bolt next time. Also, mind the recoil on the string. _That's_ why you hold it one handed."

"Oh." Despite the flush that filled her cheeks, Arya went through the motion of reloading the crossbow, making sure to keep her other hand clear this time. Then she slid one of the simple wooden bolts into place, and aimed at the sapling anew.

Artemis nodded her head at her slight increase in speed despite having to use the loader again, and wasn't surprised that when she pulled the trigger, Arya almost dropped the hand crossbow because she hadn't properly braced for the recoil yet again. "It's different from using a bow isn't it?"

"It almost whacked me in the face!"

"Would have been an improvement." Artemis chuckled and spun Arya around and into the dirt when she went to take a swing at her. "Still too slow there Underfoot."

"You could have warned me!" Arya grumbled as she pushed herself off the ground before picking up her new gift a moment later.

"Yes. I _could_ have. But experience teaches far better than any lesson ever could."

"Ha. Ha. You're ever so witty."

 _I was being serious._ Artemis didn't say that though and instead merely shrugged. "You've already had enough snark practice today, why don't we focus on getting you to hit something instead?"

"There you two are." Jon said just as Arya muttered something about Lannisters and their jokes. "I see Artemis has already given her gift. I guess I'll just have to wait until tomorrow then." With a slightly disappointed yet humble nod, Jon turned to head back to the grounds.

_Distract him._

"Huh?"

Artemis rolled her eyes at the confused girl and gave her a knowing wink. _Distract Jon for me._

 _Oh! Right._ "Ah... Jon? Look over here!"

With a sigh, Jon slowly turned back towards them. "What Arya? Wait... where did Artemis go-" Feeling a tug behind him, Jon spun around, only to see Arty proudly holding the long, cloth covered bundle he had hidden behind his back. "I see you two are still up to your old tricks. Mother will be so proud to hear it. Come on then, give it back Artemis."

"Oh this ol' toothpick? I don't know, I thought I might keep it." Artemis wasn't surprised in the least when Arya dashed over and ripped the bundle away from her. "Sheesh, someone's grabby today."

"Can't imagine why." Jon snorted with amusement as Arya unwrapped the sword that Mikken had helped forge. "I had it made for you special."

"It's so skinny." And it was skinny. It was one of the skinniest swords Artemis had ever seen, but that didn't matter since Jon had been wise in his choice of weapon for the small girl. Despite it being far more akin to a fencing blade, Artemis still found it an appropriate choice given who it was meant for.

"So are you. It might not hack a man's head off, but it can still poke him full of holes if you're quick enough." Jon leaned forward and made sure their eyes met before he asked Arya. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Stick 'em with the pointy end." Arya said in such a way as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jon merely chuckled while Artemis grinned. "That's about the gist of it, aye." He pointed to the odd miniature crossbow with a laugh. "At least it will protect you, unlike Artemis' little toy. Still, a fine gift."

Jon didn't see the way the elder archer's right eye twitched at his misjudgment of the technologically advanced 'toy' that was on the ground by the girl's feet. "Arya?"

"Ya Arty?"

"Would you mind if Jon tried your 'toy'?"

"But you gave it to m-"

_Trust me, this will be worth it._

"Alright." Arya grumbled with a very believable huff of annoyance. Only a slight twinkle in her eye gave her away. _Wait. He's not going to get hurt, is he?_

_No. He might get a bruise though if he's not careful of the recoil._

_Which you failed to mention._ _Again._ Artemis' grinned when Arya's hand fell on her pocket, and pulled out the speed loader just enough for her to notice it.

Jon barely noticed as Artemis nudged his free hand out of the way with her boot while he quickly strung the crossbow and immediately stood to his feet. "I've heard tales of the gold cloaks using weapons like these. Never imagined one could be this small though. Is it for hunting squirrels?" Jon made the same mistake Arya had as he held the small bow in both hands.

"Squirrels, deer, wolves, bears... if you hit them between the eyes. Bears, you'd need two, three shots at best, but by then I imagine you'd be up a tree or dead." Artemis gestured towards the sapling with one bolt in it already. "Let's see if you're as good as Arya."

"A tree doesn't move you know. Not a very sporting target."

Artemis shrugged nonchalantly. "She's learning." _And so will you in a moment._

Jon grinned and shook his head, carefully taking aim. A yelp of pain pierced the quiet morning air a split second later. "Bloody hells! That thing jumped when I fired it! Nearly took my bloody hand off!" Artemis and Arya were too busy laughing to notice the angry glare he threw their way. "You knew and you didn't say."

"I did it to Arya already!" Artemis managed to say between her belly deep laughs as she pointed at the look on Jon's face. "You should have seen your face, it looked like you were about to shit yourself!"

"That's because I- I mean, this is far too dangerous for a young girl!"

"And a sword isn't?" Artemis asked, her laughs dying in an instant as she met Jon's outraged gaze. "I was her age when I was given my first bow. She at least has a choice in the matter, I didn't."

"I'm sorry Arya, I have to tell father. He would never forgive me if something happened to you. I'd never forgive myself."

"Guess I better tell him about the sword you gave her then Jon Snow." Artemis said with a sigh, and even started to walk back to the main courtyard to do just that by all appearances.

 _Watch this Arty, he isn't going tell anyone anything._ "What? I just got both of them and you want to take them away?!" Artemis had to admit, even she would have been fooled by Arya's tears as the girl started to quietly sob.

"You've been teaching her far too much Artemis." Jon said before kneeling in front of the girl. "You can keep the sword and the fancy little bow. Just stop with the crying already."

Arya wiped at her eyes and came up smirking as she hugged Jon. "Thank you. I'm going to miss you."

"I'll write home whenever I can." Jon promised as he returned the favor and crushed her against his chest. "All the best swords have names you know."

"Hey, where I came from, some bows had names too Snow." Artemis snapped back with a note of feigned annoyance.

"Needle."

"That's a good name." Jon said with a nod of his head as Arya took a step back.

"And..." Artemis said with a grin as she gestured to her gift.

"Hmm..." Arya took a moment longer this time as she picked up the crossbow and gazed at it. "Lightning."

"That's a _very_ good name. Clever, and much more intimidating than a piece of sewing equipment." Artemis snickered even as Jon made an attempt to shove at her playfully. She easily moved out of his reach without any visible effort.

"Ha, ha. I love them both equally. I can shoot a pirate in the eye and if he doesn't go down, I can stick him."

"Good answer Arya." Jon said with obvious pride, while Artemis only nodded her head. The hardest lesson was yet to be learned, and she honestly hoped Arya never had an opportunity to find herself in a situation where she had to pull the trigger, or plunge a blade into a live target.

In an attempt to lighten the dark mood that had settled, Artemis shot off her mouth yet again. "One small problem Arya. The closest sea is hundreds of miles away."

"Highwaymen then."

**Several Days Later.**

**Heading For The Wall**

**Bart Allen**

He didn't need M'gann's telepathy to tell him what Jon was thinking as he and Ned talked at the crossroads. He was saying goodbye to his old family and was about to ride off to get a whole new one. That kind of transition didn't come easily for anyone. He waited beside Benjen's horse, forgetting the ripe apple he had been chewing on as he watched the scene play itself out. "I almost wish he would have refused. Farewells suck. I'm totally feeling the-"

"At least he had a chance to say goodbye Allen." Bart nodded his head at that, having told Ben and Mormont, and anyone else that would listen to his stories, about how he had been separated from his old friends. If they found his stories hard to believe, then proof of his speed soon shut up the doubters in most cases. Now that Benjen had seen a few of the boy's mythical friends in the flesh, he was more inclined to believe the rest of his outlandish tales.

"Yeah." Bart muttered to himself, far more somber than usual. "I guess not getting to say anything is even worse. 'Sides, I was able to see three of them in one place." He added on a high note, but the frown never left his face as he watched Jon ride towards them, and Artemis ride up next to Ned next. "Oh this isn't gonna end well." Benjen reluctantly agreed and reconsidered riding back to his brother's side in order to protect him from the new captain of the Stark guard.

It was no secret that Artemis had wanted to go with Ned to the capital, but he had flatly refused her. Apparently all the ego stroking in the world had not soothed the new captain as she started to raise her voice in anger. "She's your friend. Should I be worried?"

"About Eddy? I'd be more worried if she wasn't around him. If what you told me about the capital is even half right, he's gonna need all the help he can get. Zatanna and M'gann are good, but Artemis is better. She's had personal experience with knives in the dark and worse."

"Her family I take it?"

"Yeah... Let me put it like this. I never got to know my folks. But if they had been as bad as hers... I wouldn't want to."

"That bad eh?"

"Worse. Her father had a thing about pitting Arty and her sister against each other in the middle of the wilderness."

"Charming fellow. Makes my father seem like a bloody saint." Benjen said with a sad shake of his head.

"Still, she turned out alright." Bart said with a shrug before watching Artemis ride back to Winterfell, her head held low at being turned down. "Well, least she didn't hit anyone."

"You sound surprised."

"Totally. I wouldn't want Arty angry at me for anything."

"That's odd. I've done my utmost to royally piss her off and have yet to suffer any ill effects." Tyrion had chosen that moment to ride up on his own horse, his head held high despite having said his own goodbyes to Zatanna and M'gann.

"Were you left alone with her?" Bart asked, waving to the two distant women that were riding back to King's Landing.

"Not that I recall."

"There you go."

"Ah. It's a long ways to the Wall and back. Will I have to inspect my back daily for a securely wedged blade?" Tyrion asked before unhooking the wine flask from his belt and bringing it to his lips. He immediately regretted that when something foul hit his tongue, and he spat it out all over the ground in disgust. "Pah! Alright, she earned a fair point, I should have seen that one coming."

"You're going to need a new flask and some water for the trip." Benjen stated with a noticeable frown.

"Water? I'd rather drink the rest of this horse piss." Tyrion countered as he squeezed his leather bag and emptied the rest of the horse piss onto the ground at his horse's feet.

"Should I be worried about how you know what horse piss tastes like?" Bart asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I was very drunk at the time, I sobered up right quick when I ran into a puddle of it on the floor of Casterly Rock."

"Eww."

"Yes, eww, indeed. One moment." Tyrion cautiously sniffed at his two remaining flasks before taking a sip from each of them. "Water and a spare flask of the best summer vintage this side of the Narrow Sea. Nice to know she didn't plan on me dieing of thirst."

"I could have told you that. Arty either ignores you or takes you down. There's not much in between." That wasn't entirely true, but Bart wasn't about to tell Tyrion that. He was enjoying the look on the Lannister's face a little too much as he squirmed in his saddle.

"I'll be certain to keep that in mind." Tyrion impatiently gestured to the open road ahead of them as Jon finally joined their number. "Shall we gentlemen, or are we going to wait until Winter before we begin our little trek?"

"Winter always comes Lannister." Benjen intoned before turning towards the north without another word.

Bart said nothing as he kept pace with the strange group he found himself in, ignoring the astonishment on Jon's face. _A dwarf, a bastard, a crow, and a speedster go to the end of the world. Sounds like the start of a bad joke._


	7. Trouble on the Kingsroad

**Several Days Later.**

**The Kingsroad - Heading to King's Landing**

**Zatanna Zatara and M'gann M'orzz**

From their shared looks of concern, it wasn't hard for Sansa to see how truly reluctant the crude little Imp's 'bodyguards' had been to leave him to his own devices. Even if Artemis had assured her that M'gann and Zatanna would protect her with their lives, Sansa still wished that her father hadn't insisted his new Captain of the Guard stay behind to watch over the rest of their family in Winterfell. But, she quickly reminded herself that complaining about the past was a useless endeavor at best.

She wasn't the pretty little bird any longer, hadn't been the simple minded idiot that believed all the stories of knights with their duty and honor since making the acquaintance of one Artemis Crock. She had went against everything Sansa had ever been taught was appropriate and 'proper' from the very start, and had made no apologies for it. Septa Mordane had been foolish enough to try to interfere with the 'wildling' woman, and had almost wound up as verbally beaten down as Theon Greyjoy was on a regular basis. Their heated debates still made made Sansa smile since while Mordane would never admit it, the old Septa was gladdened by the fact the elder archer possessed such a wild spirit.

No, the doe eyed young girl only interested in womanly pursuits and a gloriously royal marriage had disappeared, replaced with a far more confident woman who wanted more out of her life. Artemis had seen to that, and Sansa, despite their rough start, couldn't thank her enough for making her see how stupid she had been.

Mocking Artemis publicly had since turned into one of their secret little lessons, one where the public believed one thing, and they knew something else altogether. They had become quite proficient in hiding the truth from everyone, even Sansa's mother had no idea of what they now shared. Despite Arty's disapproving frown, Sansa had made sure to drag the archer into a quiet stock room and took the opportunity to give her a proper farewell. It wouldn't due for people to know the eldest Stark daughter thought of their new captain of the guard as an adoptive older sister, but Sansa hadn't listened to Artemis's protests.

Sansa almost flinched as the strangest sensation came over her. It was almost as if some unseen person was quietly chuckling in her mind, and it didn't take her long to see where the 'voice' was originating from when she caught the beautiful raven haired woman's gaze several yards ahead of her, astride her own horse. _Sorry, Artemis can be most insistent when she wants to be._ Just as Sansa was about to call out to the one they called Zatanna, she shook her head firmly and 'spoke' again. _Don't speak aloud, we can hear you just fine if you merely think of your responses. A handy trick provided by my friend here._ Zatanna gave a subtle nod to the woman on horseback next to her.

 _That's an understatement._ Arya snarked, her own horse keeping pace with her sister's, but despite the fact they were heading to the capital, none of them needed to see her frown to know she wasn't happy about what had happened to Bran before they had finally left. Sansa was just as sullen over the 'accident', knowing as surely as her sister that it had not been a case of him losing his footing. Bran never fell, had never even slipped once in his life while climbing the walls of their home. No, while Arya dreaded to consider the possibility, Sansa wasn't nearly so squeamish, not anymore. Someone, for whatever reason, had tried to kill their brother. _CAN YOU HEAR ME SANSA?!_

"You don't have to shout!" Sansa snapped at the younger girl as she noticed the smirk on her face. _That's not funny Arya._

Arya's gleaming eyes said it all. _I'm going to like this._

 _Arya... what did I tell you?_ M'gann did her best to stifle her laughter at the Stark sisters behind her, while doing her best to remain stern.

The second youngest Stark rolled her eyes and slumped in her saddle. _No yelling in anyone's head or telling anyone about your magic. Not that anyone would believe me anyway._

 _Glad to see you're paying attention, but you never know who might believe you if you mention something like our unique talents to the wrong person._ Zatanna stated, while suppressing the faces of several people she and M'gann assumed would be eager to put their heads onto spikes if they ever found a suitable reason to raise a mob against them. There wasn't a need to upset the girls more than they had been already, something she knew all too well from personal experience.

Sansa was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact she was speaking without moving her lips, but the danger in anyone discovering this was obvious, even to her. _How are you doing this?! Nevermind, she has a point Arya, King's Landing is full of unfriendly eyes and ears. One of them is with the King right now._ Once, there might have been a time she would have been fooled by the Queen's courtesies and Joffrey's charm, but that time had come and gone. Now she saw the coldness in the woman's face, and the arrogance in her son's. And she was supposed to marry into their line? She wasn't sure how she'd be able to pull that off without risking insanity.

"And how are you lovely ladies this glorious day?" As if to prove her point, Jaime Lannister let his horse lag behind the rest of the royal entourage, and the wheel house he had been riding beside, until he was next to her and her sisters. "It'll be a long ride, I could always ask my sister to let you travel in her carriage. I'm sure she can spare the room. 'Sides, Princess Myrcella never did like horses, but you seem quite capable in the saddle. Who taught you? Not your father I assume."

Sansa looked to her sister, who only shrugged, before hesitantly meeting Jaime's gaze. For all intents and purposes, she appeared to have been struck dumb by his handsome face and polite manners, but the reality was far simpler. _He isn't to be trusted. His eyes never smile._ Aloud however, Sansa smiled prettily and said what was expected of her. The thing about being a 'little bird' was that you learned to say the right things at the right time. "It would be an honor m'lord if you could ask on my behalf. As for who taught me to ride, Ser Jory was kind enough to show me the proper way to seat a horse."

It took a considerable amount of concentration to divide her attention evenly between Jaime and the 'voices' in her head, but Sansa managed it with little visible effort. _Took you this long to notice, or were you just distracted by his insistent flattering?_ Arya scrunched up her face in thought. _And didn't Arty manage to fall off twice as much as you did? Definitely not a wildling, no matter what father tells us._

 _For once we agree Arya._ Sansa said with an audible note of sorrow at leaving Artemis behind in Winterfell.

"Are you alright Lady Stark?" Jaime asked with a hint of concern, noticing her distracted gaze. "Already missing home?"

"Yes m'lord….and my brothers, Bran especially." Sansa didn't have to feign her sadness, not completely, when she met the blonde's handsome face again. Again she found it hard to look into his hard, almost dead gaze, but she managed it.

"He's a tough lad. Chances are he'll be awake and wanting to come south as soon as he's able."

"We can only hope, thank you for your kind words m'lor-"

"Please, Jamie will suffice. I've never been one for lording over titles. I already have one title I could do without as it is."

"There's great honor in serving in the Kingsguard, m'lord. Jamie." Sansa stated solemnly, as was expected of her. Being a personal bodyguard to the king was indeed an honor, but she knew that wasn't what he had meant.

Confirming her line of thought, Jaime scoffed and shook his head before 'kindly' correcting her. "I think we all know that's not the title I was referring to Lady Stark. Still, I suppose I could have been stuck with your father's job. That's another honor I'd gladly do without." With a grinning nod, Jaime pulled ahead of them before looking over his shoulder. "Good day to you Ladies. I'll ride back with news after I talk to my sweet sister." And before long, he was back beside the queen's wheelhouse, and as promised, could be seen conversing with Cersei Lannister herself through the open window.

 _I hate her. Her brothers are bearable at least._ Zatanna stated once she was sure Jaime was away from the girls. She didn't have to worry though since Sansa's face barely twitched in response to her heated words about the queen. Arya on the other hand looked almost giddy to hear someone else agree with her opinion of Cersei and the rest of the Lannisters.

Before either M'gann or Zatanna could chastise her about it though, Arya beat them to it. _I know, I know, I can't say anything, but I can still think it. You're friends with Arty, and if she trusts you, I trust you._

 _Thank you Arya, gaining your trust was certainly easier than gaining Arty's._ M'gann said as a small amount of glee radiated through the mental link they shared.

Sansa's mind was still reeling from this truly wondrous form of magic, but, thanks once again to Artemis, she had learned to take the unexpected with far greater ease. _Why do you think we give it so freely to you? It took sweet, little innocent me the better part of a year to even share secrets with her. I can't imagine how hard you two had it._

Arya narrowed her eyes in disbelief as she stared at her sister. _Really? Arty and I talked about all sorts of adventures she'd had a few months after she arrived in Winterfell. Memory loss my ass._

 _Arya!_ Sansa looked at her sister in shock, but recovered quickly since she had suspected as much long ago. She had simply never voiced her opinion on the matter. _She is right though. After I finally got to know her, I realized that our father hadn't been entirely truthful about her past, but I understood why._ Sansa held her head up high, one of her 'tutor's' first lessons, as she liked to think of Arty. _She is kindhearted and loyal, that's all I ever cared about._

 _Kindhearted? Did the Light clone Artemis and dump her evil twin here?_ When Zatanna sensed a large amount of confusion from the Stark girls, the magician groaned and put her head in her right hand. _Nevermind. But the Artemis we knew was always sort of..._

Sansa was the first to try and finish the magician's statement in the kindest way she could. _Distant?_

 _Hostile?_ _Distantly hostile? Hostily distant?_ Predictably as ever, Arya was far blunter in her choice of words.

 _I was going to say a bit of a loner, but I guess those work too._ Zatanna broke protocol and turned to gaze at the two girls for a moment. _Okay, I have to ask, how did you get to know her so well, so quickly?_

 _Wait. You didn't get past that gruff, growling veneer she puts up to protect herself?_ Sansa found it hard to believe that Artemis' old friends had had such a hard time to get the archer to open up to them, but after she thought about it for a moment, she found it wasn't so difficult to imagine.

 _Once she was_ _ **finally**_ _out of bed, it only took me seven weeks to_ _ **really**_ _start to wear her down. I think she always wanted a little sister though. That helped._ Arya said with no small amount of pride, and Sansa barely resisted the urge to giggle since again they were in agreement, even if the amount of time involved was different.

M'gann and Zatanna shared an incredulous look before the martian spoke up. _What I want to know is how you became so adept at disguising your true feelings so well Sansa Stark. I could sense your disgust in regards to the Lannisters long before we introduced ourselves officially to you and your sister, on Artemis's 'request'._ She added with a subtle grin thrown over her shoulder at the two Stark girls at the teasing insult about the blonde archer. 'Officially introduced' was another joke for their benefit since M'gann had snuck herself and Zatanna past the guards and into their shared quarters. She had felt mildly guilty, always hesitant to abuse her powers in any way, but the two serving maids the guards secretly spent time with didn't seem to mind. All had it taken was a simple nudge to get the guards to leave the area.

Arya was far more interested in M'gann, and her thoughts betrayed her curiosity before Sansa could begin to 'speak' anew. _Is it true that your skin is green and you have flaming red eyes that can kill a man with a look?_

_I believe that Arty must have exaggerated a few things about me Arya. And I would never kill anyone. Not on purpose...but if I had to, it'd be to protect my close friends and loved ones only._

_Would you kill a man to protect us?_ Arya hesitantly asked, not as quick to pick up on the older woman's discomfort as her sister.

 _Arya, why don't you ask Megan, sorry, my apologies, M'gann, where she hails from. It must truly be a strange and wondrous place._ Sansa nodded to the strange woman when she shot her a relieved glance at the elder Stark's attempt to change the subject.

Finally getting the hint, Arya's cheeks flushed and she looked down at the saddle between her legs in shame. _Sorry. Artemis would no doubt say I just earned my nickname. I_ _ **am**_ _always underfoot, sticking my nose where it's not wanted._ She perked up then and stared at the back of M'gann's head, her somber look disappearing as a small smile appeared on her face again. _Where_ _ **do**_ _you hail from?_

 _A place far from here. Let's put it that way._ M'gann finally said, but much to the girls' amazement, images of Happy Harbor, and the hidden base inside the mountain that overlooked the small, seaside New England town, appeared in their respective minds unbidden. M'gann left out the depressing fact it no longer existed, having been blown up by Kaldur and his strike team sent by the Light to capture his former friends. Or the fact she had crippled Kaldur soon afterward by viciously ripping his mind to pieces, only to learn he had been undercover per Richard's orders.

A particular image caught Arya's attention and M'gann focused on it for her. _You fly! You. Can fly. I'm incredibly jealous. Can you teach me how?_

M'gann and Zatanna couldn't help but laugh aloud at that. They ignored the glances shot their way from a few passing servants and Lannister men before the martian responded. _Artemis's nickname for you is well earned alright. Unfortunately, my power can't be taught. Zatanna's though…._

 _Don't get her hopes up M'gann. Only those born with the gift can use magic, you know that._ Still, Zatanna was quick to shoot her friend a teasing smile before speaking again. _I'm sure if you asked her nicely, and no one's around to see us, she'll happily take you flying sometime. Me? Take me to dinner first._

 _Ignore her girls, she thinks she's funnier than she is. But she's a far better magician than a comedian. Oh right, you'd probably say sorceress and jester._ M'gann said with a playful roll of her eyes, giggling when Zatanna reached over and nudged her in the side.

 _I'm quite grateful to have met you both. It's no wonder Artemis trusts you to protect us. You've both done and seen more than we could have ever possibly imagined._ After a moment, Sansa continued, surprising not only M'gann and Zatanna, but her own sister as well. _If I am to become queen, regardless if my new 'husband' gives his blessing, I think I'll make it a point to start recruiting women into positions of true standing and prestige._

 _A very wise policy. Women are just as capable as any man, and it's only the mistaken belief we're good for only a few things that keeps us where we are. As glorified trophies on the walls fit to breed and take care of our 'husbands' castles._ Zatanna said firmly, and both Stark girls nodded their heads in solemn agreement.

 _Artemis proved that everyday. Jory always said if he'd had nine more like her, he wouldn't need the rest of our guards. But I like our guards, most of them, and besides, there can only be one Artemis._ It was Arya's turn to surprise her fellow traveling companions by her wise observation about the blonde archer. _What? I doubt we'd have a castle if we had more than one Artemis in the same place._

 _Having one_ _ **is**_ _trying at times._ Sansa agreed, another subtle smile tugging at the corners of her lips. _You asked before how I am able to hide my true intentions so easily. Artemis….she told me her whole life story one evening, when we were forced to remain inside because of the heavy rain that day. I think it was the first and only time I ever saw her so close to true tears._ Sansa tried not to notice as both women stopped their horses and stared at her for a moment before moving on. _Is that somehow odd?_

Zatanna shared a dumbfounded look with M'gann before addressing that loaded question. _Artemis told you all about her life? In one night? And she almost_ _ **cried**_ _? Okay. I'm starting to take that Light clone idea a little more seriously now. You sure it wasn't more like a month, with no tears involved?_

 _Don't blame us for the fact neither of you seem to know her as well as you think you do._ Despite the inherent danger of angering two of the most truly powerful women they were ever likely to meet, Sansa wasn't afraid to meet their astonished gazes at the vehemence they heard in her voice. _And I am certain it was a single night, because it was one I will never forget. Not because of how strongly it affected her to tell us, but because of how it affected_ _ **me**_ _. I had never felt so completely foolish about my mistaken belief the world was like it was told in my favorite stories of honorable knights and their valiant deeds, all done in the name of honor and duty to their lords. If such was the truth, then what happened to Artemis Crock wouldn't have been allowed to stand. No, the world is not fair, nor safe, nor kind. And woe to the ignorant, innocent young girl who believes otherwise._

 _Sansa..._ Arya looked at her sister with new respect and admiration, having never expected to see this side of her sister at all. But when she smirked up at her elder sister, Sansa found she loved the look on the girl's face. _You really_ _ **have**_ _been paying attention to our friend, because I didn't think you had a spine until now._ The moment was over with that backhanded compliment, and it was Sansa's turn to roll her eyes and look away from her grinning sister.

How he had gotten beside her so quietly, Sansa never knew, but she had to bite back a gasp of surprise when Joffrey seemed to materialize out of thin air. Her cheeks flushed on cue, disguising her shock in feigned admiration and joy at having her husband-to-be at her side. Once more, Arya was struck dumb at how quickly the mask slipped back into place, and Lady Sansa was back in the saddle, looking for all intents and purposes the doe eyed girl everyone expected. "My prince, what a pleasant surprise. It's so kind of you to check on my well being."

"My uncle told me you desired to ride with my mother, but she sent me to tell you today she has to speak with some of our men at arms. She extends her invitation for tomorrow though." Joffrey said politely, his smug little grin painted on his face. Sansa resisted the urge to smack that smug look off of his face by some small miracle. "So odd to see a woman who can ride, let alone four at once. I see you've met my uncle's whores." Joffrey leaned closer to Sansa as if sharing a secret with her. "Although, he likes us to pretend they are his trusted bodyguards and advisors. They're certainly trusted enough to suck his cock." With an unkind smile and a wave of his hand, he curtly dismissed them. "Go on, off with you both. You're sullying my Lady with your presence." Zatanna and M'gann did as they were told, not because they had been ordered off, but because to linger would invite trouble they couldn't afford. Not yet.

Sansa had to bite her tongue as an unbidden image of Joffrey's head on a spike over one of the city gates to King's Landing appeared in her mind, and she had no doubt of who had thought it up when Zatanna looked over her shoulder at them. Turning to Prince Joffrey, a title that was sorely wasted on him, Sansa regained her composure without missing a beat. "They were merely entertaining us with stories of your home, my prince. I asked about King's Landing, and they were happy to oblige my curiosity. Would you wish to regale me with tales of the capitol instead? It must be a glorious place to live, so much excitement, so much to do and see!"

 _Yes, please do tell us what you think about your home you pompous little shit. I'm sure you have all kinds of marvelous stories about pissing on the commoners._ Sansa had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide a 'giggle' of excitement which disguised her smirk at Arya's less than stellar opinion of Joffrey in general. All the while, Joffrey painted a pretty picture of King's Landing for them, completely unaware of the real topic up for discussion between the 'whores' and the ladies.

 _I am really starting to like you Arya._ Zatanna stated with pride.

 _Everybody does, sooner or later. Don't worry, Arty already made me swear an oath not to use my power for evil._ All of them shared a good laugh in the mental link at the young girl's equally proud comment.

Even when Joffrey asked if Sansa wanted to ride away from the column for a while, the merriment between them was all but palpable as she and the prince rode ahead of the royal entourage. It was the expected thing to do, and despite her misgivings about going anywhere alone with Joffrey, Sansa didn't mind because it gave her a chance to spread her wings and fly as she pushed her horse to keep up with his own.

Once they were gone, Arya caught up with the two 'whores' and their horses, and led the way to her lord father and the men that surrounded him. _By the way, you both did a splendid job of not punching Joffrey's teeth down his throat. How you avoid doing that on a daily basis is a total mystery to me._

 _We've had a lot of practice at not doing the first thing that comes to mind._ M'gann said with a gleam in her brown eyes. _But thanks for the compliment Arya, dealing with you is much more fun for us, trust me._

 _I'll bet._ The surprise on Arya's face was only matched by Ned's amused glance towards his daughter as he looked towards the two women that flanked her. _Come back for more war stories of our favorite archer?_ Ned's eyebrows shot to his hairline in astonishment. _By the Gods new and old, has Arya Underfoot been struck speechless? What are the chances of that happening?_ Ned didn't wait for his daughter to recover from the shock of having been included in the link without her being aware of it before he addressed those with her. _I'll admit M'gann, feeling your presence in my head for the first time was a bit... disconcerting, but Artemis's stories helped to prepare me for it. Her true and unadulterated stories I should say. And before you ask my sweet summer child, I was listening the entire time you were talking with them._

An embarrassed Arya had the presence of mind to blush at her father's implication. _Oh. About Joffrey, what I meant to-_

 _You needn't bother. Our Prince truly is a pompous little shit if there ever was one, but we must abide him. You know our words, you know we need people to stand beside us when Winter_ _ **does**_ _finally come._ After a short pause to allow his words to sink in, Ned's next comment was far less weighted in dark undertones. _And don't tell your mother I let you curse or she'll skin my hide, even if it was only in our heads._

 _Why are you so calm about this? Honestly, I'm still not quite used to it._ While Arya was smart enough to hold her tongue towards the two women, it wasn't hard for Zatanna and M'gann to pick up on her simmering resentment at being so thoroughly embarrassed.

Ned gave a barely noticeable shrug as he kept a watchful eye on the road ahead. _Oh, I'm not calm at all, I'm just really good at pretending to be._

 _You, afraid?_ Whatever embarrassment she had been feeling disappeared at the sheer idea that her father could be afraid of anything.

Arya bristled at the sound of laughter behind her coming from a certain sorceress. _He handled it better than you did Arya. At least we didn't have to hear him yell, "Why is my voice so loud?!", a dozen times before M'gann taught you how not to shout._

 _It wasn't a dozen! Just...once or twice._ Arya muttered softly, an annoyed glare fixed on her face.

 _It helps that my mind is a quiet wasteland I suppose._ While Zatanna had quickly become accustomed to Ned's dry humor, M'gann still made the mistake of always taking him seriously.

 _Don't say that! You have a fascinating mind Ned. So organized and focused and-_ You could hear the metaphorical crickets chirping in the awkward silence that followed. _Sorry. I can call you Ned, right?_

 _Ned is fine, only because you're such good friends with Artemis._ There was a noticeable edge to Ned's words as he spotted Robert ahead of the column. Zatanna couldn't meet the Lord's gaze when he turned to stare at them a moment later. _I take it everything you have told me is the honest truth?_

Arya turned to see Zatanna and M'gann playing some odd game with their hands, and evidently Zatanna lost as M'gann pretended to cut into her extended palm with her fingers. Rubbing the back of her neck, the sorceress chuckled nervously and turned to meet Lord Stark's stern gaze. _From what Arty-Artemis said about you, we know better than to lie to you. We have only known you a couple weeks, not years, not like Artemis has come to know you and yours Lord Stark. We understand if you aren't quick to believe us, especially given who we rode into Winterfell with. We trust Tyrion alone, not his family, while Artemis trusts your entire family. I didn't need M'gann to tell me that, nor the fact Artemis loves your eldest son._

 _I didn't say a word._ Arya said when Eddard looked at them all in shock at Zatanna's keen observation.

 _Only a blind man could miss the way they look at each other, but we know Artemis better than you think._ The edge left M'gann's voice, but the piercing glare she cast on Ned didn't waver in the slightest. _She won't take the chance to open up her heart again for fear she'll lose him like she lost the love of her life. She's afraid of facing another sorrow that painful, but to look at her when she's with your family, I almost forgot she had ever lost the better half of her heart once already. That is why we trust you with all of this Eddard Stark. You did what we would have struggled to accomplish in the same amount of time. She really is better off here, with the Starks of Winterfell._ Only after she was done giving her impassioned speech did M'gann let her head hang, as if all the strength had left her all at once.

Ned knew the look of a woman that had lost just as much, having told men, husbands, brothers, mothers, and more of lost friends and loved ones during the rebellion. While he didn't comment on it, he softened his stern visage and looked at the two with renewed interest and compassion, finally realizing he had been too quick to judge them by the company they kept. _High praise indeed. I am sorry to hear of her anguish, but I am heartened to know my family has provided a much needed catharsis for young Artemis. Perhaps my mistrust of Zatanna and yourself was misplaced M'gann, and for that I apologize._

 _You had every reason not to trust us, but we had just as many not to trust you. We didn't know Artemis was with you, if you had treated her decently, or well, anything really, but you proved all of our fears invalid. We are equally at fault, but I'm glad we've finally managed to come to a mutual understanding._ Zatanna stated firmly in turn, having draped an arm over M'gann's shoulders by that point.

Eddard's eyes widened with concern as a familiar voice sent out a desperate plea. _I need your help! The little beast is going to gut this poor boy if I don't do something! Lady no!_

_Sansa's in danger! M'gann, Zat, with me. Arya, stay with Jory._

"Mycah! I forgot all about him!" Arya shouted as she was restrained by Jory before she could ride off. M'gann had already disappeared from sight by then, and had flown off as fast as she could. _Don't let him hurt Mycah, please! He's my friend! I was going to play knights with him again!_

 _Don't worry, I'll protect him._ M'gann stated with a steely look of determination. Gone was the compassionate woman that had just been riding with them. What they heard was the cold, mission minded warrior that had led attacks against some of the worst their world had ever seen. It sent a chill down Arya's spine, while Ned was reminded that they came from a place that was unlike anything he could have ever imagined.

For Ned, there was no question as to what he had to do as he chased after the barely visible ghost, pushing his horse for all he was worth. _Is Sansa alright?! What do you see M'gann?!_ His answer came about the same time he cleared a dense patch of trees, riding fast toward the river's shore.

 _They're by the river and-_ For a moment all that could be heard among them was M'gann's startled gasp. He didn't have to be told what had happened as he heard an ear piercing scream that was unmistakably Sansa's, but they were sobs of sorrow and desperation rather than agony and terror. He had heard enough horrible screams in two wars to know the difference.

"Sansa!" By the time he entered the clearing by the river, Ned brought his horse up short when his eyes fell on his daughter's direwolf, struck down by Joffrey's sword which was currently sailing through the air before it disappeared into the river. Then his eyes fell on a gasping form of a young boy not six feet away from his sobbing daughter as she cradled Lady in her arms. The butcher's boy, Mycah, had had his throat cut by Joffrey's blade, and he was already well on his way to bleeding out as the light left his eyes. When he heard a rather large splash, he looked towards the river, and to his amazement, saw Joffrey floundering on the far side.

 _Let. Him. Drown!_ Sansa screamed in their minds, her face a picture of contorted rage before agony consumed her once again.

 _As much as I want to, I can't let him die._ M'gann all but whispered as she pulled an unconscious Joffrey out of the river, her clothing suddenly 'sopping wet' as members of the Kingsguard raced towards them, Jaime Lannister in the lead.

"What happened here? Is he alive?! Out of my way woman!" Jaime sighed as he felt at the boy's neck before garing at M'gann. "I'll ask again. What happened?"

Other than a few bite marks on his arm and the fact he had almost drowned, Joffrey was fine. Yet when he woke up with a start, he started sobbing like a little girl. It reinforced the realization of just how utterly wasted his title was for Sansa. "She's a witch! The bitch nearly killed me!"

"I don't know what he's talking about m'lord. I heard screaming and came to see what was happening. A wolf had appeared and was leaping at him, but Joffrey bravely managed to defend himself." M'gann paused as she looked towards a crying Sansa, Ned and Zatanna kneeling by her side. Then her eyes fell on the still boy next to them. "In the confusion, the butcher's boy stumbled into his blade as he pulled it free of the beast."

"Is that so?" Jaime's thoughtful eyes flicked to a now slightly calmer Joffrey. "I do believe you're right. A rather unfortunate turn of events all the way around. But that does beg the question, why is your friend's pet laying on the ground?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lady stood to her feet and looked around in what could only be confusion as Sansa and Zatanna proceeded to gently calm her. Jaime raised an eyebrow, but when he looked to M'gann, he smirked at the woman before he nodded his head. Whatever had passed between them was missed by most everyone, Joffrey included as he dusted himself off and was helped to his feet by his uncle. "I'm proud of you nephew, you acted to defend yourself and your Lady. Guess your wolf was just stunned." He knew better, having seen the stab wound from Joffrey's sword, but looking at the white direwolf now, Jaime only saw the blood that could have been from the dead butcher's boy for all anyone knew.

"The wolf that attacked us was an ugly beast. Too bad it got away." Joffrey grumbled, and again Jaime was reminded of the strange women that hovered around his brother as the prince turned to Sansa next, who looked visibly relieved that her direwolf was alright. "I….I'm sorry for startling you so my lady." Ignoring the scathing looks from Zatanna and M'gann as he mounted his horse, he looked to Eddard and was taken aback by the fact the Lord of the North had his hand locked around the hilt of his sword. Choosing to run with what pride he had left, Joffrey rode off with his uncle, his bitten arm held close to his chest the whole ride back.

Only when the others had ridden away did Sansa let her mask fall as she turned to Zatanna, tears running down her face as she ran her fingers through Lady's fur. _Thank you. Gods know how you did it, but thank you for healing Lady. First Bran, now this... you truly are a forger of miracles._

Zatanna lightly blushed at the grateful girl's words. _I just happen to know a few useful spells._ Standing to her feet, Zatanna wobbled but stood steady as she looked down at the direwolf and her mistress. _And I don't need to be a magician to see these direwolves have bonded to you and your sister, Sansa. There really is something strange about the Stark family pets. Even if they hadn't, there was no way we'd have let Joffrey get away with more than he does on a daily basis. M'gann might have altered his memory, but he'll pay for what he did to Mycah, you can count on that._ Zatanna stumbled and was about to fall until M'gann caught her, and held her steady until she recovered from her recent spell casting. _Never had to do a healing spell of that level on the fly before. Let alone twice in a week. I'll be alright, just give me a minute._

Ned slowly walked over to Mycah and knelt by his still form before gently closing the boy's eyes, forever sealing away his terrified gaze. _Zatanna, the boy, is there nothing you can do for him?_

 _No one can bring back the dead, not truly. Unless you want a reanimated corpse without the soul, but that's no substitute to true life._ Zatanna said at last as she gently pushed M'gann away when she was sure she wasn't going to fall over again. _There's nothing more we can do here. Arya's not going to take this well._ She rested a hand on Edward's shoulder as he stared down at the boy. _Ned... she's going to blame herself. He was waiting here to play with her._

Ned only nodded as he led the way back to the rest of the small army that had accompanied Robert. He didn't need Zatanna to tell him what he already knew. _I will tell her myself. She is of the north, but more importantly, she's my blood._ All the strength seemed to have flowed out of the man as he carried the boy back to the King's procession.

Arya was where they had left her, astride her horse with Jory having ridden up next to her the moment they had gone to investigate the disturbance. Ned didn't get to say a word before Arya's face fell when her gaze fell on Mycah. "No..." She slipped off her mare and dashed over as Ned gently laid the boy on the ground. _What happened to him?! Why did you all shut me out?!_ Arya screamed in their minds as she started to sob over the boy's body. Her rage filled gaze burned into Ned as she began pounding on his chest. _Why didn't you save him?! Why didn't you DO SOMETHING?!_

Ned said nothing and took Arya's slamming her fists into his chest without complaint. It was better she wear her rage out now, something he had learned from dealing with a similarly strong willed young woman that he had been forced to leave at Winterfell.

M'gann had since knelt beside the two and hesitantly put her hand on the young girl's back. _I'm so sorry Arya, I tried to stop Joffrey, I just wasn't fast enough._

All of Arya's rage was still solely focused on her father as she ignored M'gann's attempt to comfort her. _You didn't save my friend, and now you're going to protect the beast who killed him?! You call yourself a hero. A man of honor! All you are is a liar and a coward!_

 _Sometimes the only way to help the right people is by protecting your enemies until you can deal with them properly._ That was a lesson Zatanna and M'gann had been slow to learn back home, but one that Tyrion had gotten them to heed after some convincing. Zatanna knew that it wouldn't help at this moment since Arya was too upset to listen to reason, but she hoped she'd remember it later. _As for your father, he did his best, but sometimes our best isn't good enough._

"Leave me alone!" Arya screamed as she raced away from the three of them. Jory was quick to ride after her, giving Eddard a somber nod before galloping off. Before he got twenty feet, his horse reared up and gave a terrified winnie as it threw the man from his saddle before racing off in a panic.

"Sorry Ser Jory!" Zatanna shouted over her shoulder as she rode off on her own horse after Arya and Nymeria, who had ran after the young Stark child. Disappearing into the woods that they had just left behind earlier that morning, it didn't take the sorceress long to realize she wasn't going to find the girl as easily as she had hoped. _Hmm. You know I could set this forest ablaze if I wanted to right?_

"You're just as bad as the rest of them!" While she couldn't pinpoint the source, Zatanna was relieved to note Arya was at least within shouting distance. "You're all liars and cowards, and you let Joffrey kill my friend and get away with it!"

_Arya, we have to be very careful now._

"I don't care! Let them hear me!" Zatanna had since spotted a flicker of movement to her right, and saw a flash of wolf eyes before they disappeared into the foliage. That meant Arya was likely nearby, either in a tree or hiding in the bushes. Either way, Zatanna had a fair idea she was getting closer as she patted her horse on the side of her neck.

_You know I can't let you stay out here alone Arya. Your father will be coming out here soon enough, I just beat him to the punch._

Zatanna heard an exasperated sigh in her mind as the girl finally gave in. To a point. _I'll be fine, Nymeria will protect me. We can be happy in these woods, she can hunt rabbits and squirrels and I could fish._

 _Let me guess, Artemis?_ Zatanna chuckled when she felt Arya's surprise at how accurate her guess had been. _How do you think she'll feel if we leave you out here Arya? What about your mother, your brothers, or even Sansa?_

 _No. Stop! Nymeria, stop!_ Zatanna blinked owlishly at the absurd sight of Arya being dragged by the sleeve out into the open by her own wolf before she hopped down from her saddle. Nymeria looked quite pleased with herself as she sat in front of the sorceress, with an annoyed Arya glaring between her and Zatanna. "Fine! I promise I won't run away. Today."

"Good girl." Zat softly cooed to the panting direwolf. Sitting down next to the infuriated girl who had since pulled her legs up to her chin, her back to a nearby tree, Zatanna followed her example before looking up at the tree branches above their heads. "I know what it's like to lose friends, loved ones, Arya. I lost my dad a long time ago, but I lost a friend fairly recently."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"Only if you want to, but I've had time to adjust, so it's not necessary Arya." Zatanna replied while letting a hint of a smile play over her lips. "But the point is, my friend died trying to protect everyone, but my father….he did what he had too to protect me. I'd give everything I am to get him back, but it doesn't work that way." Zatanna paused, blue lightning danced across her fingers before she turned to a mesmerized Arya. "Being a sorcerer like I am, any promise we make in the language of magic is binding, meaning we risk death if we break our word. He was forced to give such a promise to save my life, and it was my fault he was in that position in the first place. So I know what you're feeling better than you could imagine."

"He sacrificed himself for you didn't he? Your father?" Zatanna nodded her head slowly, while casually brushing away a tear from her eyes. "What was his name?"

Nymeria had since laid her head across Zatanna's lap while Arya had scooted closer to the sorceress before she found her voice again. "Giovanni Zatara. My mother died when I was very young, so he raised me alone for as long as I could remember. He taught me everything I know, but he was overly protective. When I wanted my freedom….I got it, but the cost was far too high. I'd give anything to have him hold me in his arms just one more time. If not for M'gann and the rest of my old friends, I don't think I'd have made it as far as I have."

"Yeah , yeah, I should be grateful for my father. I get it." When Zatanna frowned at her sarcastic words, Arya lowered her gaze and stared at the ground. "I am. Don't tell him I said that though. I'm still supposed to be mad at him." Zatanna wasn't surprised when Arya punched the ground next to her. _I hate them, I hate all of them! Joffrey, the king, the queen, and all of their men!_

 _So do I Arya, but for now your father's right. We have to pretend we're all on the same side. It'll be the only way we'll get out of this mess in one piece._ Running her hand through Nymeria's fur, Zatanna let her free hand fall on Arya's shoulder. _We promised Artemis we'd protect your family, and we intend to do just that. But our job will be a lot easier if we're all on the same page._ "Are you ready to go back now?"

"It's just so sad, what happened to Mycah." _Putting an arrow through Joffrey's eye one day will make me feel better._ Zatanna ruffled the girl's hair but nodded as she helped Arya onto the back of her horse, Nymeria trailing behind them as they rode back to the rest of the column.

 _Let me guess. Artemis again._ "I'm sure someone will kill the wolf that started this whole mess." Zatanna winked at Arya, who had to bite her tongue to hide the smirk that threatened to appear on her face.

"I'm certain they will." _According to her, only an idiot lets their enemy get close enough to use a sword._

 _There is a time to deal with an enemy from a distance, and a time to engage them up close. But Arty's right, if you have a choice, always deal with them from a safe distance. Less chance of getting yourself into trouble that way. Although, you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble about as much as Artemis did when she was with us._ Her attempt at humor fell on deaf ears.

Arya sighed but said nothing as they soon rejoined the rest of the group. Sansa was relieved that Zatanna had found her sister so quickly, and Ned was glad that she was unharmed despite everything. He looked to the sorceress when his daughter had ran into his arms and started to cry against his chest, nodding his thanks for her aid in getting her back to his side. Zatanna said nothing, she only smiled sadly as she rode up next to M'gann. The martian didn't have to ask what they had talked about.

What she did ask was meant for Zatanna's 'ears' only. _Are you going to be alright?_

 _Yeah….thanks M'gann. Thank you for everything you've done for me since the day we met._ Zatanna stated softly as they rode ahead of the Starks, ignoring the annoyed look Jory threw her way at the underhanded trick she had pulled with his horse. Said horse had been brought back and calmed down by the time everything had settled, but Zatanna had a feeling she hadn't made a good impression with the man.

Ignoring all of this, M'gann only nodded her head at her friend's words, a small, sad but sympathetic smile on her face. _You've done just as much for me as I've done for you Zat. Besides, that's what friends are for._

 _Just_ _ **friends**_ _?_ Zatanna retorted about the same time a teasing smirk appeared on her full lips. M'gann shook her head and rolled her eyes this time, but she couldn't hide the light blush on her cheeks. ' _Friends' usually don't scream my name and beg me not to stop... how did you put it? Working my magic?_

 _You're becoming just as bad as Tyrion._ They shared a laugh at that before they looked towards the north, where he, Bart, Jon Snow, and Benjen Stark had last been seen heading for the Wall. _I hope he's alright up there. We should have gone with him._

 _Don't worry, he'll be alright. The worst that could happen is he freezes his balls off for a few days. It'll do him some good anyway, being away from his crazy family and the usual crap associated with King's Landing._ Zatanna felt the same way about leaving Tyrion to his own devices, but she trusted in his ability to get back to them in one piece. He had made it this far without them, a couple weeks wouldn't be hard at all, especially with Benjen and Bart beside him. But Zatanna still couldn't shake the feeling that he would end up in trouble before they saw him again.

**Winterfell**

**Artemis Crock**

She hated standing guard over a comatose Bran and a still grieving Catelyn. Zatanna had done an amazing job since the start of her attempts to heal the boy, but she had only been able to do so much. The concussion Zatanna had detected had been dealt with first, but the boy still slept on. His back had been next in line before the sorceress had finally gotten to his legs. By day seven, the magician had looked as pale as Bran did now, and Artemis had firmly insisted she stop before she killed herself on Bran's behalf.

Despite the fact he was in far better shape because of Zatanna's magic, Artemis hated seeing the child so weak, so fragile, and Catelyn's grief hit too close to home. Desperate to do something useful, Artemis gently placed a hand on the matron's shoulder to get her attention. "I'm gonna head down and get something to eat. Do you want me to bring you back something?"

"No thank you Artemis." Catelyn placed her hand over Artemis' with a knowing look. "Go on, get something to eat, I know this is torturous for you."

"My stomach can wait." Artemi softly said as she patted the woman's back and walked back over to her post by the door. "I...was afraid to ask earlier, but what is that thing you're making anyway?" Catelyn had been working on some kind of charm or dream catcher thing, she couldn't decide which, but now that things had started to settle down, she figured it was a good as time as any to ask. The silence was driving her crazy anyway.

Catelyn looked away from the wreath like charm that she had been working on since Bran's fall, and was about to explain what it meant when Artemis raised her bow and aimed an arrow at the opening passageway. They both visibly relaxed when Robb stared the blonde down with a gentle look. "Not remembering to knock, now there's a stupid way to die."

"If I was worried about my safety, I would have." Robb stated sternly before turning to his mother and the closed window by Bran's bed. He sighed and shook his head, having already talked to Luwin about making the arrangements needed to keep the castle running, but he hadn't been happy about it. Not because he had been forced to step up, but because his mother had given him no choice. "When was the last time you left this room?"

"She's been here since breakfast." Artemis told him as Catelyn threw her a glare. "If you mean how long she's been here in general, then about as long as you'd expect. Every waking hour."

"I have to take care of him, regardless of what your Lannister friends said." Catelyn snapped back, making Artemis take a step back while Robb shook his head in sorrow.

Walking over to the window, Robb had opened them wide, ignoring the barking from the few direwolves that were left in Winterfell. "Rickon needs you. He's six. He doesn't understand what's happening, he thinks everyone's left him. He spends all day, clutching my leg, crying!"

Artemis wasn't so blind as Catelyn broke down again and started sobbing as if Bran had only just fallen. "Close the window stupid! Those wolves going crazy aren't helping." Having since turned to Catelyn again, she forgot all about the dogs or the window. "But Robb's right. You need to stop this Cat. I get it, trust me, but you have other children that need you. You have an entire castle of people that need you."

"Do not propose to lecture me on what I _need_ do." Catelyn snapped at the two of them, her eyes blazing with anger. "I will not leave his side, and that is the end of it."

"Mother...please be reasonable. Locking yours-" Turning back to the window, Robb paused as he started to close it and stopped cold. Artemis noticed and ran over to his side just as he shouted the last word she wanted to hear. "Fire! The library's on fire! Stay here, we'll be back!"

"Be careful!" Catelyn yelled to them as Artemis dashed out the door two steps behind Robb. "May the gods protect them..." Slowly standing from the small chair she had personally dragged to Bran's room, Catelyn went to the window and wondered how the fire had started. Luwin had hopefully gotten out alright, as well as anyone else that might have been in there, but those thoughts were distant compared to her concern for Bran's safety. _Maybe Robb's right...I have been selfish._

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as soon as the thought had passed through her mind, and Catelyn turned only to stumble back in shock. "Shoulda known that fire wouldn't have dragged a mother away from her kid. I ought to know, raised two myself." The assassin was one of the biggest men Catelyn had ever seen, but it wasn't his size that drew her horrified gaze. It was the metal mask, the arm guard and pauldron on his left arm, and the knife he had drawn already that did that. If he saw her stunned recognition, the man chose to ignore it. "Well, guess I'll just have to do you _and_ the brat then. After all, we can't have any witnesses now can we?"

"NO!" Catelyn didn't know how it happened, only that when she went to grab the knife away from the giant of a man, she was soon on her back with the assassin straddling her waist, his knife already going for her chest. Time slowed down to a crawl as Catelyn watched the valyrian steel blade descend, only for it to be deflected at the last possible moment by a perfectly shot arrow. The dagger was knocked loose from the man's hands and sent spinning away to a distant corner of the room. Momentarily distracted, Catelyn seized the opportunity and managed to rip the man's mask off, bashing him with it with one hand and clawing at his eyes with the other.

He was forced to jump back, several superficial scratches his reminder not to underestimate a mother's willingness to protect her cubs. But that thought flew out the window when his brown eyes fell on the blonde that had fired the arrow at the worst time. Despite his surprise, the man's lips pulled up into a malicious grin as Artemis's gray eyes filled with horrified recognition. "Long time no see Artemis."

Artemis only growled out a single word as she shook off her shock and leveled her bow at the bastard that had dared to attack a defenseless child. "You…." Just as she fired, her arrow was deflected by a wave of his armored left arm.

With a loud snarl Cheshire charged past and jumped, her mouth opened wide to snap down on the assassin, but he was ready as another dagger seemed to appear in his hand out of thin air before it found a new home through the bottom of the black direwolf's jaw. She went down with a startled yelp, never to rise again as the steel dug deep into her brain.

Artemis couldn't believe it. "Cheshire!" The loss cut as deep into her heart as surely as if she had been stabbed herself.

Knocking another arrow, her eyes snapped up at the sound of mocking laughter. "Cheshire? Really? Ain't that sweet. You've gone soft baby girl."

_End Notes; Vergil1989; I love cliffhangers. They give you so much to look forward to._

_Archer83: Don't they just? Nothing like having absolutely no idea what will happen next. It's almost as heart pounding as watching this really awesome fantasy show on HBO..._

_Vergil1989; Not only did we make Sansa somewhat likeable, but I'm sure some of you folks can guess who we replaced the assassin with lol. I always hated the idiot for standing there like an ugly statue and running his mouth instead of simply adjusting his plan of attack, or just slitting Catelyn's throat from behind and having done with it. There's a difference between bragging and being stupid. Basically, I hate unprofessionalism lol._

_As for Artemis being a bitch, I'm surprised I didn't hear something like that sooner lol. Joking aside, we hope you've enjoyed the game so far guys and gals. Stay tuned!_

Archer83: To **cdog21** , there's this time tested phrase: Be careful what you wish for. The cruelest thing George RR Martin does to his characters is hurt their loved ones. Or he just wipes out entire families in one shot.


	8. Broken Families, Broken Dreams

**Author’s Notes:**   _I want to apologize for not updating this a lot sooner.  We got stuck, then a lot of RL stuff came up which further drove us away from GoT.  Now with Archer83 gone from FF due to some serious RL issues, well, I didn’t know if I wanted to try to get this going again or not.  Now though, let’s just say I’m motivated to try at the very least.  Let’s hope I can do this the justice it deserves once more._

 **Chapter 8:**   **Broken Family, Broken Dreams**

Artemis didn’t know where Catelyn had crawled away to, her focus was only on the grinning bastard that had the gall to call himself her father.  All she saw was an enemy, someone that threatened the Starks, nothing more.  “Before I kill you, just tell me one thing.  Who sent you?”  Looking down the point of an arrow, most people would have been far more wary of their chances of getting out of there in one piece.

Lawrence wasn’t most men.  If anything, the amused smirk behind his mask was all too easy to hear in his voice as he stared into his daughter’s eyes.  “You, kill me?!  That’s a good one.”  Lawrence laughed and shook his head in utter disbelief at her threat.  “You’ve learned to talk big baby girl, but you and I both know you can’t beat me, let alone kill me.  You would have done it years ago if you were anything like Jade, which we both know you aren’t.”

“You’d be surprised of what I’m capable of these days.”  Artemis said in an even tone as she glanced to the right where Catelyn had since hesitantly stood to her feet, the dagger clutched tightly in her right hand.  That subtle glance was all that Lawrence needed to close the gap between them, his left hand leading in an open palm strike aimed for her head.  Artemis ducked and retaliated just as quickly, having fallen into the routine as easy as breathing as her right leg snapped up and slammed into her dad’s side before she spun the other way, her left elbow raised to smash into his chest.

The arm block was expected, but the arm around her throat was something new.  Pinned, for the moment, Lawrence used the lull in their fighting to start running his mouth again.  “Tell ya what kiddo, help me do the old bag and the kid and I’ll give you half the reward.  Easy peazy.  It’ll be just like old times.”

“We never had any ‘old times’ dad.”  Lawrence was stunned as Artemis viciously headbutted him, instantly breaking his nose.  Before he could tighten his hold, she had slipped free and had flipped him over her shoulders.  He recovered just fast enough to avoid her followup heel drop, rolling to the left at the last second.  “And is this the part where you tell me we can rule the galaxy as father and daughter?”

Crock grinned despite the blood flowing freely down his chin as he blocked her right hook and slammed his fist into one of her kidneys.  Artemis was forced back several steps, but wasn’t given time to regain her breath from the vicious blow before Lawrence grabbed her by the front of her head and slammed her against the stone wall.  Stars exploded behind her eyes as she was allowed to fall to the floor in a heap.  “Not really.  But how hard could it be to claim this medieval shit hole for ourselves baby girl?”

“This ‘shithole’ is my home!”  Artemis growled as she struggled to regain her footing, her vision blurry, the room violently spinning around her.   Before she could even get her knees under her, a heavy boot pressed against the small of her back, slamming her face first into the stone floor once more.

“This looks all too familiar baby girl.”  She couldn’t see the grin on his face, but Artemis knew it was there as Lawrence lifted his boot only to step on her left hand, just enough so that his point was made before it fell on her back again.  “Time for you to give up these idiots and come back to the family Artemis.”

If he thought she was out of tricks, he had another thing coming.  “These people have been more of a family to me than you ever were dad.”   _Just get it over with._  Artemis took a breath and pulled Hagan’s old dagger out of a hidden sheath under her trousers.  “You aren’t half the maaaaghhh!”  

“Careful now sweetheart, you’re beginning to hurt my feelings.”  Lawrence snarked as he dug his boot deeper into his daughter’s back.  “Had enough?  Or should I just snap your spine?  Your call.”

 _Don’t do anything Cat, just stay there._  Even from her prone position, Artemis could see the Stark woman was torn between going to her aid and staying by Bran’s bed, but she hoped Catelyn saw her subtle shake of her head and stayed out of the fight.  The last thing she wanted was for Lawrence to kill all of them out of spite rather than professional courtesy.  So long as his precious reputation was on the line, he’d keep casualties to a minimum.  It was the only thing that was keeping the rest of the people in Winterfell alive, his pride as a professional of his particular skillset.

“Last chance Artemis.”  The blonde girl howled in pain as her right arm was cruelly wrenched behind her back.  “Share in the spoils, or die like the rest of these wild wolves.”

 _Just get it over with._ “Gahhh!  Stop, please, just stop!  I’ll do whatever you want!”  With a satisfied laugh echoing in her ears, Artemis felt the pressure on her back decrease about the same time as her arm was released.

“There we go baby girl.  See, was that so harrraaahhh!”  Lawrence only saw the glint of the blade a split second before it was embedded into his right shoulder.  Blinded by the searing agony from his right shoulder, he missed when he tried to backhand Artemis, only to be dropped to his back when Artemis ducked and swung her left leg through his feet.

“That’s for Cheshire!  And this is for me!”  Before he could hope to get to his feet again, the archer had already slammed her fist into Lawrence’s exposed neck, all but crushing his larynx.  Ignoring his gasps and grunts for air, Artemis slammed her fist across Lawrence’s jaw hard enough to knock two of his teeth out.

“It’s true what they say...”  A gasping Lawrence ripped the dagger out of his shoulder with a grunt of pain.  “Being nice always bites you in the ass.  Time’s up baby girl.  I don’t plan to go into overtime!”  Grabbing her fist as it descended for another strike, the assassin used his superior size and strength to flip them over so that he was on top, her own dagger already in line with her chest.  “Just give it up and I’ll make this quick.”

“Not….happening!”  Artemis growled, fighting for every inch as she tried to keep him from digging her own blade into her heart.  Having grabbed her dad’s fingers locked around the dagger’s hilt, she pushed against him as much as she could, but it wasn’t enough as slowly but surely, it descended ever closer.  The tip of the blade had since pierced the top layer of her fur overcoat and the leather underneath, but Artemis didn’t focus on that, even when she felt the tip of the blade cut into the skin underneath.  “I didn’t...survive all this….just to be killed by you!”

“No hard feelings Artemis.  Too bad you’re so weak, just like your moth-”  Artemis had to blink away the blood that gushed out of Lawrence’s throat when Catelyn jammed the valyrian steel dagger through his neck.  He fell to the side, taking Hagan’s dagger with him before it clattered harmlessly to the floor.  An approving bloody smile spread across Lawrence's face as their eyes locked before the light left his brown gaze and the assassin slumped to the floor.

That was a distant concern for Artemis as she stared, dumbfounded at how easily it had all ended.  One well placed strike and the source of over twenty years of terror had been silenced.  Even Robb and half the castle guard running into the room didn’t immediately register for the shaken archer until she felt someone’s hands on her shoulders.  With a jolt, she met Catelyn’s concerned gaze, Robb right next to her, before the last few seconds started to hit home for her like a massive hammer blow.  Sitting up, she couldn’t take her gaze off her still father, sprawled out with his own blade sticking through the back of his neck.  She didn’t know she had started to cry until Robb pulled her against his chest while Catelyn gently draped a blanket over the black direwolf before turning to the guards.  “Take his body to an empty field for the wolves for all I care.  As for Cheshire...she will receive all the honors deserving of a true Northerner.”

Scrambling over to the fallen man as they began to drag him away, Artemis held up a hand.  “Wait!”  The guards didn’t need a nod from Robb to do as she asked as they respectfully backed away.  No one in the room was more surprised than Artemis herself when she wrapped her arms around her bloodied father and slowly began to sob as she held him tightly.  Neither Robb nor Catelyn needed an explanation as they silently watched the guards carry Cheshire out of the room.

Before she knew what she was doing, Artemis had lifted Lawrence over her shoulder before carrying him down the stairs and out into the courtyard.  She had no idea where she was going, or if she was followed, she only knew she needed to bury him before she lost it.

“Artemis...”  Robb had followed her after all, but it was a distant concern of hers.

“Stay with Cat, she needs you.”  The words sounded dead, flat, and far away to her ears, and she didn’t care.

“Mother and Bran are safe thanks to you and Cheshire.  Right now, I’m more concerned about-”  He trailed off when Artemis looked over her shoulder, her gray eyes alight with her pain and rage.

“Thanks to me?!”  Artemis didn’t slow down as she tried not to stop and drop Robb to the dirt for his comment.  Instead, she opted to simply yell at him as she finally stopped a suitable distance into the godswood and unceremoniously dropped her heavy bundle to the ground.  “Your mother stabbed my _father_ in the back of his neck and you want to thank me for saving their lives?!”

Robb held up his hands in an effort to placate the emotionally distraught archer.  Despite the fact Lawrence had just tried to kill his brother and mother, his thoughts were focused on Artemis alone in that moment.  “I meant no offence, please...allow me to help lay him to rest.  Mother was overcome with rage, and rightly so.  But even the most horrible of men deserve better than the wolves.”

“Leave.”  It wasn’t a warning.

The Lord of the North didn’t move a muscle as he stared holes through the back of the blonde’s head.  “I will not cower away while-”

Spinning on her heel, Artemis’s tear and blood stained face was mere centimeters away from Robb’s, her livid gray eyes full of anguish and rage.  “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”

“No.”  Robb softly spoke, daring her to strike at him, to push him away.  Pulling off his right glove, Robb slowly placed his hand on her cheek, gently wiping away the tears streaming down her face.  

That single action broke whatever defenses she had left as Artemis fell against his chest and screamed herself hoarse, her body shaking like a taut bowstring from the force of her sobs against him.  He withstood the storm, his arms wrapped tightly around her back.  He would have rather felt the pain of a hundred arrows piercing his heart than the fiery anguish he felt from staring down at the inconsolable young woman in his arms.  He never knew how long he stood there, Robb only knew that some time had passed before he noticed that the shaking from Artemis had subsided, as had her heart wrenching cries.  Looking down, he had to blink in mild surprise when he saw she had passed out on her feet.

“My lord, has she found a measure of solace at last?”  How the old man had gotten so close was another mystery, but Robb was grateful when Maester Luwin had stepped out of the shadows.

“A measure of peace at the very least Maester Luwin.”  Robb said, wondering how he was going to get out of this predicament.

“Good.”  Luwin threw down two farming spades before turning his patient glance towards the peacefully dozing girl.  “I strongly suggest that you wake her up.  If she finds herself in a bed and her father buried, you might not live to see the next sun set.”  The wizened old man gently brushed a hand against her golden hair tucking a few loose strands behind her ear, a feat he would never be suicidal enough to try had she been conscious.  “Be kind to her, and above all, patient.  I shall leave you to your work my lord.”

Robb could only nervously chuckle since Luwin, as usual, was right in his assessment.  He didn’t get to move before he looked down and saw two, red rimmed gray eyes staring up at him.  “If he touches my head again, he’ll be breathing through a straw.”

Robb sighed and was glad Luwin had since left them alone.  “A straw?  It might be rather hard for him to breathe with hay stuffed into his mouth.”

Artemis blinked in confusion for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.  “Even better.”  Taking a moment to gather herself, the archer hesitantly pulled away from Robb’s embrace and looked down to her father.  “You have no idea how many times I imagined him dead, but now that he is, I want him back.”  The tears didn’t start again, but her voice still quavered as she picked up one of the spades and immediately set to work in digging a hole.  “I know….there was no other way this could have ended Robb….especially with him having taken a hit out on your brother of all people, but he was still my dad.”

Robb’s only response was a somber nod of understanding as he grabbed the second spade and assisted her with the grim task at hand.  The hard, cold earth was slow to give into their efforts, but eventually, they had dug out a suitably sized hole in the earth before Artemis dropped her spade on the edge, and climbed out with Robb’s assistance.

“Should we say any words?”  Robb asked at last, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between them.

“He always said ‘the dead can’t hear us baby girl’ and he’s probably right.  Besides, he talked enough for three people.”  Artemis replied, a hint of scorn filtering into her voice and her eyes until she looked up at the man next to her.  “Just help me get this taken care of.  Then I plan to fall into bed and hope that when I wake up, all of this was just a very vivid dream.”

Again Robb only nodded, Artemis making it a point to pull the dagger free from Lawrence’s neck and handing it to Robb before pushing the hulking blonde giant into his newly dug grave.   _Goodbye dad.  I always loved you, even when I knew you didn't deserve it._ With that somber thought and casually tossing his mask onto his chest, Artemis picked up her spade and walked over to the nearby mound of dirt as she started to fill the grave.   It only took half the time to fill the grave as it had to dig it, and before she knew it, the mound of dirt was gone.  Having fallen into a trance of sorts, the only reason she stopped was when Robb put a hand on her shoulder.  Once again, she felt Robb’s hand on her cheek as she found it in herself to start crying again.  Despite the tears running down her face, Artemis chuckled weakly as she leaned into his hand.  “Thought I was all cried out already.  Guess not.”

The sound of a twig snapping drew their attention elsewhere.  Robb turned just as Artemis fixed her stunned gaze on the last person she had expected to see again.  The hooded man that had stepped out from behind the shadow of one of the nearby trees held out his hands when Robb made to grab the hilt of his sword.  “I’m a friend, and someone that has spent the past two years trying to find her again.”  Slowly reaching up to lower his hood, Robb knew who it was that had addressed them when his stern gaze fell upon the man’s blue eyes and the short stubble that covered his chin and upper lip.  The green hood and over shirt were also a dead giveaway, as was the intricate longbow and the equally impressive quiver that hung over his right shoulder.  “I take it she mentioned me once or twice.”  The man said when he saw the recognition on Robb’s face.

“You could say that Ser Oliver Queen.”  Robb stated as he let his hand fall away from his sword.  Neither man was surprised by the stunned look on the blonde archer’s face.

“Ollie?”  Artemis looked ready to faint as memories of their time together flashed through her mind.

**Over ten years ago.**

**Starling City National Bank.**

**Midnight**

“Almost to the ground baby girl?”  Lowering his daughter down from the skylight on an improvised pulley system wasn’t the easiest way they could have done this, but it was the safest, especially for her first time out on a job.  While Lawrence Crock was many things, a caring father wasn’t one of them, but there was no point in getting the girl killed their first time out.

Strapped in tactical rappelling gear, wearing a black bodysuit and ski mask, Artemis Lian Crock made sure her bow and quiver were tight against her back as she slid down the rope slowly but surely.  Too much pressure on the rope between her hands and she wouldn’t go anywhere, not enough and she’d slide down too fast and end up hurting herself when she hit the floor.

As much as the ski mask wearing young girl wanted to be anywhere but here, she knew the price for failure was severe.  She had the scars to prove it, as did her older sister who she hadn’t seen since she left that night more than four years ago.  “Just a little further.  Alright we’re good.”  As soon as her feet touched the linoleum floor, Artemis unclipped herself from the safety harness and waited for her father to join her on the ground, before they moved on with the rest of their plan.  She was fast and efficient, just like her dad had wanted her to be from day one, as she brought up her bow and did a quick check of the area.  Other than a few cameras situated around the bank, there was very little noticeable security.  The few motion sensors that had been a part of the place had been deactivated already while they were on the roof.  A quiet whisper was the only sound heard in the dark lobby.  “Clear!”

“It better be baby girl.”  Lawrence said as he quickly slid down the rope and landed lightly beside his daughter.  Despite his immense size, he was as sure and light footed as any assassin.  “Let’s get moving, before some guard gets tired of sitting on his ass and wanders into us out of boredom.”  Casually tossing one of his specially made javelins at the nearest camera, an electrical pulse instantly fried the bank’s internal security network.  As much as he hated passing through airport security, even in disguise, at least here he didn’t have to worry about the feds getting another picture of his face anytime soon.

Having his image captured was the least of the man’s worries as an arrow pierced his leg, pinning him to a nearby desk.  It had struck him below the armored knee pad he wore, making it a very uncanny and accurate shot, especially in the dark.  Despite the pain the arrow caused the man, Lawrence didn’t acknowledge it as he and Artemis looked to where the shot had came from to see the Hood walking out of the shadows from the back of the bank.  “Lawrence Crock....you have _failed_ this city!”

With only a mild grunt of pain, Lawrence ripped the arrow out of his leg and merely laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest.  “I’ll hand it to you Hood, I never saw you coming.  Shoulda killed me though.  Imagine the street cred I’ll get for gutting Starling City’s annoying little vigi.  Let’s go baby girl!”  Oliver only narrowed his eyes as Artemis fired a shot at him, only to have the arrow caught by the elder archer before it reached his chest.  It was a distraction however, allowing Lawrence to draw forth another javelin and launch it straight at the man’s heart.  Oliver barely dodged the projectile, receiving a deep cut to his right arm instead of being impaled.

 _He’s fast, but I’m faster._  Artemis was the game changer.  Her loyalties were uncertain, a factor he could potentially use to his advantage, if he could get through to her.  Even if she was taking shots at him, Oliver could practically sense the hesitation from across the lobby.  She was distracting him at best, with shots just inches away from Oliver’s body.  Someone who could aim that well could have easily hit him several times by now, a fact that wasn’t lost on her father apparently if the deepening scowl in his brown eyes was anything to go by.  “What are you doing?!  Quit trying to shoot him and _shoot_ him!”  Lawrence growled as he tossed another javelin at Oliver’s back, and instead wound up hitting the desk he had jumped behind, as graceful as any cat.  The only problem however was that this javelin exploded after a three second delay, sending the archer skidding across the floor and into the far wall, dazed but otherwise unharmed.

“No more excuses baby girl, take the shot or don’t bother coming home.”  Artemis nocked another arrow in place and drew up the tension on her bow.  If her many near misses hadn’t been proof enough of her hesitation to kill, then her shaking bow arm was clear as day.  Oliver’s hood might have hid his face, but his eyes were still visible if the angle was just right.  Even at this distance, it was clear that he was waiting for her to make her choice.  Continue down the path her father wanted for her, or walk away from the life that had been forced upon her.

The arrow she fired harmlessly embedded itself in the wall next to Oliver’s head, proving what he knew already.  She was no killer, despite what her father might have wanted her to be.

It wasn’t until she turned around did Artemis realize that Sportsmaster was already ascending the rope out of the bank, muttering curses the whole way as he pulled himself up hand over hand.  Before she got a chance to follow, Lawrence had already cut the rope from the pulley, leaving her behind and without an exit that didn’t involve going through the front door and any cops that were waiting for her and her new pal, the Hood.  If she thought that was the end of their ‘relationship’ however, Artemis was sorely mistaken when she felt a dart pierce the right side of her neck.  “No....you can’t!  Don’t leave me!”

“I just did baby girl.  Have a nice nap!  And just so you know, this is your own fault.  Maybe you’ll remember that when you wake up, IF you wake up!”  A precisely aimed arrow hit just underneath his hockey like mask and grazed the side of the enforcer’s face.  The long, ragged, and bleeding cut from chin to temple was enough to take away the man’s arrogant smirk.  Oliver only had time to watch Lawrence disappear into the night as he caught the stumbling blonde girl before she had a chance to hit the floor.  Whatever had been in that dart was already taking effect from what he could see.

“Stay with me Artemis!”  Oliver shouted as he pulled the dart out of her neck and made it a point to put it into his hood for later analysis.  He needed to know what was in it just in case his herbs he had brought back from the island didn’t work to counteract the poison.  Seeing terror in the eyes of those he fought usually gave him a sense of satisfaction, but seeing it in this young girl’s grey eyes was another story altogether.  Pulling his cellphone out with one hand while gently lowering Artemis to the floor, Ollie called the only person he could trust.  “Dig, get the lab prepped; I’m bringing her back and she’s been poisoned.  I’ll be there in ten.”  He didn’t wait for a reply as he hung up before slinging the girl over his shoulder.  This was shaping up to be a very long night.

**Winterfell**

**Present day**

She didn’t know who came out of the crushing hug more bruised, her or Oliver, nor did she care as she pushed the memory of their first meeting into the back of her head.  Unbeknownst to her, Oliver was doing the same thing as he squeezed the blonde archer tightly against his chest.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”  He whispered, having seen them bury her father before he had made his presence known to them.

“Shut up Ollie.”  Artemis hissed, too emotionally derailed to think coherently as she sobbed against him.  “Just shut up.”  He smiled despite her harsh words, knowing it was her way of saying everything she wasn’t normally able to express.  At least, as far as he was concerned anyway.

Looking up to Robb when he approached at last, Oliver looked up from the tall blonde’s face and met the young man’s intense gaze.  “I take it you’re one of the Starks of Winterfell I’ve heard about?”

“Robb Stark, the eldest son.”  Robb confirmed as he nodded his head to the master archer he had heard so much about.  “It’s truly an honor to meet you at last, but I wish it had been under better circumstances.”

Before Oliver could say a word, Artemis managed to choke out, “How?” as she looked up into his face.  She suppressed a pained gasp when his fingers brushed over the back of her head, where she had hit the stone floor no thanks to Lawrence.

“Sssshhh, I’ll tell you later, I promise.”  Oliver whispered as he pulled his right hand away from the back of Artemis’s head and found blood on his green glove.  “You need time, time to rest mostly.”  He knew better from experience than to push her too hard, especially now.  Suggesting anything else would be a very bad idea.

Much to their relief, Artemis didn’t protest as he and Robb gently led her away from her father’s freshly dug grave.  She didn’t say a word as Robb went to find Luwin so he could tend to her wounds that she had left unattended.  Her mind was awhirl, going through what had happened in so many hours.  First she sees her dad slain by Catelyn, and now she gets Oliver back?  It was too much, but she was grateful for one thing, Oliver had found her.  Oliver had found her just as he had all those years ago, and things were going to get better.  They had to, because they certainly couldn’t get worse.

**Morning….**

Despite what had happened, Artemis had fallen asleep thanks to Luwin giving her a glass of milk of the poppy before he had started to clean and bandage her injuries.  It was about the only way she would have been able to keep her hands from accidentally snapping the man’s neck since a person in pain was unreliable.  Even after all this time, having someone tend to her injuries while she was awake was a bad idea, or waking her up from a nightmare for that matter.  Sighing at the thought that last night had been a horrible dream, Artemis simply had to touch the bandages wrapped around her head to know that wasn’t the case.  Lawrence Crock really was dead and he wasn’t coming back.

Looking to her right, she managed a weak smile when she saw Oliver, asleep in a chair.  Or at least, that’s what he wanted the casual observer to think as a smirk pulled at his lips.  “It’s good to see you too Arty.”

“Shut up Ollie.”  She grunted as she sat up and groaned when she felt the small puncture from her own dagger in the center of her chest.  Oliver’s smirk disappeared at the sound, but she waved him away before he could even begin to get up.  “I’m fine.”

“Artemis-”  Oliver began, but she cut him off long before he could get started.

“Don’t.  You can’t just walk in after two years and expect everything to be fine.  What the Hell took so long anyway?!”  She roared, grabbing him by the front of his vest after all but flying across the small distance between them.

“I was dead for part of it.”  That got her attention, causing Artemis to blink her gray eyes in befuddlement.  “Long story short, Malcolm Merlyn created a situation that I had to choose to either let the League kill Thea, or I had to take the fall for her.”  Oliver explained calmly, even if that particular experience and the weeks following it had been anything but calm.

“And being the idiot you are, you decided to try and take on Ra’s Al Ghul himself and lost.  Which means his little Pit’s real.”  Artemis grumbled, pushing him away even as tears formed in her eyes.

“Something like that.”  Oliver rubbed at his chest where the Demon’s Head had stabbed him.  That was one scar he wouldn’t ever forget.  She didn’t need to hear how an old friend and his wife had intervened on his behalf, literally bringing him back from the dead.  What she needed then, more than anything, was just him being there, supporting her as he had always tried to do since they had ran into each other.  Or rather, he had gone after her father, only to end up saving her instead, in more ways than one.  “The important thing is, I’m here now.”  He whispered, and put a hand on Artemis's shoulder.  “And I’m not going anywhere.”  Once again, Oliver grunted as she wrapped her arms around him, almost crushing him in the process.

“Just shut up you big, stupid, overgrown moron.”  Artemis sobbed and chuckled at the same time, torn between dozens of emotions.  She had lost so much and gotten some of it back all in the same day.  She wasn’t about to let Oliver go if she could help it.

So when someone made the mistake of knocking on the door before opening it, Artemis was tempted to pull one of the many flechettes that she knew Oliver kept up his sleeve and throw it at the offender.  A restraining hand on her upper arm stopped that, and she was grateful for Oliver when she saw it was Robb.  “Forgive the intrusion, but my mother wishes for us to meet in the godswood.  She’s found something you need to see.”

“Alright.”  Oliver said before catching something in Artemis’s gaze.  “You know what this is about I take it.”  He stated, sensing a story he needed to hear if he was going to help here at all.

“I’ll explain on the way, but yeah, I do.”  Artemis said, her mind going over the recent events that had rocked the castle, the most recent of which was the attack on Bran.

As expected, Robb, Theon, Catelyn, Luwin, and old man Rodrick were standing around the tree that had a steaming pond of hot water at its base.  The valyrian steel blade was in Rodrick’s hands, sheathed but visible by its intricate gold hilt.  Artemis wouldn’t forget it for the rest of her life, she knew that for sure as she stood in front of the gathered Starks and their ward and closest allies.  When Rodrick and Luwin gave Oliver curious glances, Artemis shrugged.  “You can trust him.”  She stated flatly, making it clear with her terse response that it wasn’t up for debate.

“His honor is without reproach.  Artemis vouches for him, so that is enough for me.”  Catelyn stated firmly, earning a grateful, solemn nod from the blonde archer that had become a part of their lives.

“Thank you.  You have my thanks for taking care of Artemis this whole time.”  Oliver replied before nodding to the dagger in Rodrick’s hands.  “I’m just sorry I didn’t get here sooner to stop Lawrence from trying to assassinate your son Lady Stark.”

“Which brings me to why I have asked you all here.  What I’m about to tell you must remain between us.”  Catelyn began after the others had shifted uncomfortably at how close this attack had been in its near success.  As for her request for silence, everyone nodded their agreement, as did Oliver despite being new to the area, so to speak.  Once she was sure that there was an understanding, Catelyn began new.  “I don’t think Bran fell from that tower.  I believe he was thrown.”

“No surprise.”  Artemis muttered under her breath.

“The boy was always sure footed before.”  Luwin agreed, his comment meant for Rodrick more than anyone, but everyone still heard it just fine.

Catelyn ignored the interruption although a quick glance to everyone’s respective faces, as well as the man Artemis had spoken so highly of since her arrival, revealed they were thinking the same thing.  It both relieved and saddened her to have to confirm their suspicions.  Relieved because they wouldn’t argue against her, but it saddened her because there were only so many ways they could answer both attempts against Bran, and all of them involved bloodshed to some extent.  Anything less would not achieve the justice they had every right to seek out.  “Someone tried to kill him twice.  Why?  Why murder an innocent child?”  She asked, intent on getting this business done and over with now, “unless he saw something he wasn’t meant to see.”

“Saw what, my lady?”  Theon asked softly.

“I don’t know.  But I would stake my life the Lannisters are involved.”  Catelyn stated, and did her best to ignore the grimace that passed over Artemis’s face.  She had been thinking it too, and the fact two of her closest friends were working for one of the Lannisters most likely wasn’t sitting well with her.  But it had to be said, had to be laid out for all those in attendance so there was no confusion later.  Besides, they were in it now, speaking of such things as this was too close to treason, and they all knew it.  “We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the crown, especially if Zatanna and Megan’s suspicions are to be believed.”

Artemis was quick to back up Catelyn’s claim by going over what she had learned from her two friends, surprising Oliver a little but there was nothing for the revelation that they were in with the Lannisters, so to speak.  Jon Arryn’s death had been prompted by questions, questions into what she didn’t know, but it was enough to solidify everyone’s opinion on the matter, as well as what they’d have to do.  And then there was the assassin himself to consider, along with the dagger he’d been given.  “Did you notice the dagger the killer used?”  Roderick asked as he pulled the weapon partially out of its sheath.  “It’s too fine a weapon, even _for_ such a man.  The blade is valyrian steel, the hilt dragonbone.  Someone gave it to him.”

“I’m finding it hard to believe someone just happened to send Crock’s own cunt of a father after Bran,” Theon began, but he was quick to hold up a hand to stop Artemis, for once not looking for a fight with the archer.

She fell silent, and couldn’t help but feel grateful for Theon’s choice of words once she had given them a chance to sink in.  Robb’s answer, when it came, was predictable, but was also received with a measure of gratitude even as Roderick gave Artemis an inquisitive glance.  “It doesn’t matter if they knew or didn’t know who it was they were sending.  What matters is that we invited them into our homes, and try to murder my brother.  If it’s war they want-”

“If it comes to that I’ll stand beside you.”  Theon agreed a little too quickly.

“Have you seen war before?”  Oliver asked before Luwin could open his mouth.  “Those that have seen it for themselves never wish for it again.”  While he’d been looking at Theon when he said it, his ominous words had been meant for everyone.  He took some of the sting out of them though with what he said next.  “I understand, even if I haven’t been here long, but words can lead to action far too easily.  You want justice for your brother and your father’s friend, but you can’t rush into this complicated situation.  You need to be careful.”

“Wisely said Ser Queen.”  Luwin agreed before casting his gaze over Robb and Theon alone.  “Besides, would you spill blood within the godswood, hmm?  No.  As has been stated already, words of war often become acts of war.  We don’t know the truth yet.”  He paused for only a moment so he could address Lady Catelyn next.  “Lord Stark must be told of this.”

Artemis didn’t need to hear Catelyn’s words to agree with them since her mind had gone the same route.  “I don’t trust a raven to carry these words.  And I know you would ride to King’s Landing, Robb,” Robb fell silent the moment Catelyn cut him off, “but there must always be a Stark in Winterfell.  I will go myself.”

“You’ll want to keep the group small then.”  Artemis stated, cutting off Roderick because like Theon and Robb, their reactions were predictable when it came to their liege lady’s protection.  It was also apparent she wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she didn’t even try to talk her down, as the others didn’t although not quite for the same reasons.  “There’s no way we’re letting you go alone Cat, so don’t even try, but too large a group would just draw unwanted attention.”

“I’ll go with you my lady.”  Roderick declared, seeing that there was no way to dissuade Catelyn from this course, not that it was his place to try as Artemis well knew.  Duty would always trump wisdom with these people.  “Besides, we all know the Kingsroad can be a dangerous place for a woman alone.”

“I’d feel better if at least one other went with you mother.”  Robb said softly, and reluctantly let his gaze fall on Oliver and Artemis in turn, but Artemis knew the truth of where his mind had gone.  “Ser Queen, I know I have no right to ask this of you, but Artemis has spoken often of your role in her life.”

“You only just met me.  You would trust me with such a responsibility?”  He asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

“They trusted me pretty much the same day they met me Ollie.  Besides, I have my responsibilities right here.”  Artemis replied, surprising Oliver further as she gestured to the castle at large.  “I owe them my life, Ollie, but more than that, I belong here.  I...can’t just leave, not now.”

The weight of her words was what convinced Oliver as he nodded minutely in reply.  The sheer amount of pride and awe in his gaze however didn’t go unnoticed by anyone as he let his hand fall on her shoulder before turning to Catelyn fully, the silent gesture and its meaning not lost on Artemis herself.  “Alright.  If you’ll have me then Lady Stark.”

“I too would feel much better having you at my side Ser Queen.”  Catelyn said, the silent nod from Luwin having helped her decision in letting this unfold at all.

But Robb wasn’t done, not quite.  “And what about Bran?”  It was a simple question, but one that had so many connotations for the Starks still within Winterfell.  No one could blame him for asking it either despite the way Catelyn’s strength almost failed her then and there.

To her credit, the matriarch gathered herself, but for the more perceptive among them, it was a near thing as she made it clear she was committed to the path before her.  “I have prayed to the Seven for more than a month.  Bran’s life is in their hands now.”  The finality of her words silenced further protests from the rest as plans were finalized and preparations were soon underway, but Oliver noted the way Artemis trailed after Catelyn Stark as she left the godswood.  She truly had changed, for the better, and in ways that he hadn’t expected to see.  He truly was proud of who she had become, but he couldn’t help but wonder what trials awaited them all.  And as much as he wanted to stay and catch up, she was right in that too much time had passed for them to simply go back to the way things had been between them.

**Bran’s room…**

Artemis watched, vigilant as ever as Catelyn silently crossed the space between the door and Bran’s bed as she carefully hung a talisman she’d been working on over the head of Bran’s bed.  Some charm made to represent the Seven gods, the meaning of which was lost on her, but she said nothing since if it helped Catelyn through this turbulent time, she wasn’t about to say anything about it.  Neither did she say anything when Catelyn leaned down and ran her hand across Bran’s cheek before she placed a firm kiss on his forehead.  She remained silent still as Catelyn gently pushed past the archer and shut the door behind them.  The whole thing had an air of finality about it, as if Catelyn didn’t expect she’d see the young boy again or his brother Rickon.

“Thank you...Artemis,” The words caught Artemis by surprise as Catelyn looked up at last, her cheeks wet with fresh tears.  “For being there….as always.”

“I’m the one that should be thanking you.”  She replied before hugging the older woman.  Despite what had happened with Lawrence, Catelyn had simply done what needed to be done to protect her family.  Artemis didn’t blame her for that, what it had required to end the threat to the people of Winterfell, even if that threat had been her father.  No, Artemis didn’t hate Catelyn for ending him, and she conveyed that through their embrace, much to the elder Stark’s immense relief.  When they broke apart, Artemis only nodded silently, promising she’d be here when Catelyn returned.

“Thank you.”  She repeated, firmly, strongly, her gaze clear and her course laid out before her.  “May the old gods and the new protect us all.”

“Good luck Cat.”  Was Artemis’s simple reply.  What else was there to say?  She watched Catelyn go before turning to the door, where Bran’s wolf, Summer, was likely resting next to the boy.  After the last attack, no one was about to argue about the direwolf sleeping in Bran’s bed.

**Pentos**

**Conner Kent**

**A week earlier**

The Dothraki wedding had come at last, and as expected, Viserys was still pissed over their last little ‘talk’.  His impatience was also noted, but Conner could have cared less as he stood just below the new Khaleesi and her husband, Drogo.  The fact Dany had asked for Conner to stand above her own brother hadn’t gone unnoticed by Viserys, and it had made the kryptonian clone quite happy to be valued more than the supposed ‘dragon’.  Even Drogo had taken an interest in the stranger his new wife seemed to love more than her own blood, and looked at the black haired youth with benign curiosity.

As for the wedding itself, it was just as strange and barbaric as the people themselves, but he couldn’t help but admire them at the same time.  There were no secrets among them, and that seemed almost appropriate given what he had heard of the Dothraki since first hearing about the fearless horselords.  He had seen at least three of Drogo’s fellow riders take women right there in the crowd, and while Conner didn’t approve of it personally, he didn’t stop them either since it was how they chose to do things.  Dany wasn’t so skilled at hiding her distaste, but she too said nothing at the display as food was brought up to her and the Khal.  Connor frowned, noting she was too scared or disgusted to eat anything, but he honestly couldn’t blame her.  He found his own stomach wasn’t feeling that great.

“Something troubling you Kent?”  Viserys sneered smugly, having noticed the man’s discomfort with what these Dothraki savages called food.  Horse meat, lamb, even a few dogs, along with far more mundane foods such as fruits, vegetables, spiced wine, and ales were brought to and from the Khal and his new queen before anyone else was served.  It didn’t help with the smell though, something Viserys knew and was glad to see was affecting the man so strongly.  “Never thought I’d be happy to be among these savages, but if it makes you uncomfortable, all the better.”  Ignoring the glare from Conner that comment got, Viserys turned to Illyrio.  “When can I speak to the Khal?  We need to start planning the invasion.”

Illyrio’s response was expected since Conner knew more about the Dothraki than he did apparently.  “If Khal Drogo has promised you a crown, you shall have it.  When their omens favor war.”  He explained, earning a scowl and a curse from Viserys.  It was Conner’s turn to smile this time as he crossed his arms over his chest, ever the vigilant, unmovable guardian.

And then he saw someone that immediately struck his interest.  The man was older, and was dressed as a Westerosi knight, a sword strapped to his side and a stack of books under his arm.  Presents were expected at any wedding, and Khal Drogo and the new Khaleesi had received many already, mostly exotic silks, weapons for Drogo, foods, things of that nature, but no one had brought books yet.  To make it even more interesting, the stranger greeted Drogo in his native tongue, to which Drogo responded in passing respect with two words Conner understood.  “Jorah.” and “Andal.”  They sounded too purposeful to be another word in Dothraki. Jorah of the Andals then.

“A small gift for the new Khaleesi.”  The knight began as he handed the books over to Dany, all the while ignoring the sounds of a fight breaking out behind them even as Conner tensed, prepared to jump in if on the off chance it spilled out into the crowd.  He had been told to expect such activities, so did his best to ignore the sounds of swords striking and grunts of efforts as Jorah continued without breaking stride.  “The songs and histories of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Dany was touched by the gift made to her directly as she accepted the books with a sincere note of gratitude.  “Thank you ser.”  She stated before waiting half a beat to ask the question Conner had been about to.  “Are you from my country?”

“Ser Jorah Mormont of Bear Island.  I served your father for many years.  Gods be good I hope to serve the rightful king.”  That was a lie.  Conner could hear Jorah’s heartbeat pick up ever so slightly upon its utterance, but he kept that to himself.  The whole thing with Jorah appearing seemingly out of the blue alone, bearing gifts, didn’t sit well with the clone, and while he had no proof to base his suspicions on, his instincts didn’t stay quiet about the man either.  And then he lies about his intentions?  Or perhaps he had simply lied about who he was there to serve and swear his loyalty to?  Sure he had looked to Viserys when he said the words, but it was likely expected of him.  Deciding to reserve judgment, not that he could have done anything here without drawing unnecessary attention to himself, Conner remained silent as Jorah exchanged his pleasantries with the Targaryens before walking away.

No sooner than he had did Illyrio beckon two of his slaves forward, bearing a heavy metal chest between them.  Having no idea what was inside the box, Conner had no way of knowing the significance of this moment as three oval objects, cradled in red velvet like three sleeping infants, were revealed to everyone within eyesight of the chest.  “Whoa.”  He uttered under his breath, entranced by their singular beauty despite their rather strange appearance.  Something about them just...drew the eye for some reason.  What that was he couldn’t say, but he was far from the only one entranced as Dany too couldn’t look away from the three objects before her.

“Dragon eggs, Khaleesi, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai.”  Illyrio explained to his rapt audience, “the ages have turned them to stone, but they will always be beautiful.”  He finished as Daenerys picked up the jade egg between her hands and held it before her face.  She didn’t get to admire the egg long because Khal Drogo stood to his feet on some unspoken signal, just as the crowd fell silent.  Heading off some distance away, Conner just saw a flash of a silver mane before someone blocked his view, but he had a pretty good idea where Dany was meant to go as he fell in behind her and on her right side.  Ignoring the curious glance Jorah shot at him, Conner continued unabated.  This was where he belonged, close at hand to the new Khaleesi.

Jorah soon caught up with them once Dany had stopped to marvel the most beautiful white haired horse with a mane of purest silver he had ever seen.  “She’s beautiful.”  She breathed out, once more entranced by the animal with her richly adorned saddle.  Dothraki custom dictated that the newly wed would ride off into the sunset and consummate their marriage under the light of the stars, and since Drogo already had a fearsome warhorse to match his status, it only seemed fitting Dany get a horse of her own, but the gift was still more than Conner had expected as Dany turned to ask Jorah how did one say thank you in Dothraki.

“There is no word for ‘Thank you’ in Dothraki.”  He replied, which oddly enough didn’t surprise neither she nor Conner.

Dany didn’t fight as Drogo helped her to the saddle, easily lifting her as if she weighed nothing, but his gentleness surprised the kryptonian before he too was astride his own horse.  Ignoring Viserys’s whisper of ‘make him happy’, Conner made it a point to whisper something of his own in a passing Dothraki accent after sidling up to Khal Drogo’s horse.  While crude, even for the horselords, it got his point across.  “Hurt her and you’ll answer to me.”  Drogo shot him a curious glance, but said nothing in response, but the slightest crinkling of his eyes said he had understood the threat and its intent.  If anything, there was the briefest bit of respect felt from that otherwise stony face that had remained largely impassive since meeting the feared horselord before Drogo and Dany rode away into the sunset.

Jorah waited until Viserys had wandered off to stand next to Conner.  “You threaten a Khal and he respected you for it.  I don’t think many people could have gotten away with that and lived, Ser Kent.”  Despite the slight reprimanding tone in Jorah’s voice, Conner nodded to the knight in respect of a different sort.  “You care for her more than her brother.”  He stated rather than asked, confirming Conner’s suspicions that he was more perceptive than most around them.

“I do.  So you can understand why I said anything.”  Conner replied, confirming Jorah’s well founded suspicions in a single breath.

“I do.”  Jorah stated simply and nodded once more, his hand never leaving his sword’s hilt, although the fact it merely rested on the weapon rather than wrapped around its hilt said he was no threat and didn’t plan to make himself one.  Smart, even if he didn’t know who or what he was dealing with.

**Present day.**

**On the way to Vas Dothrak**

A kind of routine was soon established on their way to the Dothraki’s homeland, where the rest of the great roving bands of horselords were to gather to commemorate Khal Drogo’s marriage.  They had rituals for almost everything, so it made sense they had a sacred place where no weapons were to be bared, and no blood spilt upon the ground.  All past grudges and slights were to be left at the door, so to speak, or there would be hell to pay for the offenders, and like any laws, there were ways around killing someone that didn’t require blood be spilt.  But as for the routine, Conner and the rest rode for hours straight before setting up camp for the night, before they’d go at it again at the break of dawn.  While hard for those unused to long stretches of riding at a time, Dany was able to withstand the rigors of it well enough.

It was the nights that Dany had to endure as Drogo’s new bride that worried Conner.  While he hadn’t hurt her, Dany herself having assured him of that despite the slight limp she had sported and the gingerly way she tried not to rub her thighs together, he hadn’t exactly gone easy on her either.  But Dany was made of stronger stuff than most people of this world, and despite the ‘rough riding’, and the mundane variety they endured daily, she still sat on the back of her silver horse’s saddle as straight, if not straighter, as ever.  The ride to Dothrak seemed to be making her stronger for some reason, as she slowly shed the rest of her past life and embraced this new, unknowable future.

That didn’t stop Conner from hovering near her side as surely and often as Jorah did now however.  A kind of silent agreement had sprung up between them as to their charge and their shared goal in keeping Dany alive.  And while Conner had known her the longer, her belligerent brother included, he couldn’t help but respect the Westerosi despite his lingering doubts about the man as he explained some of the Dothraki’s beliefs, mainly how they believed the world would end.  Covered in ghost grass, the kind that ‘murdered all other grass’, it was simple yet somehow poetic at the same time, especially given the importance they put on their horses.  As for Jorah, he was quickly becoming a wise advisor, and he carried himself with the utmost respect around the Targaryens and the Dothraki.  Even the slaves the horselords used in their day to day were given a modicum of respect by the man, which only made Conner like him more.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t watch him of course, but he had started to like him, especially since he wasn’t the blind sycophant he made himself out to be for Viserys’s sake.  When he wasn’t around, he spoke plainly for Dany and himself, just as he was doing now.  “It’ll get easier.”  He reassured her, both he and Jorah having noticed where Dany’s gaze had fallen.  Conner nodded silently when her gaze fell on him next, before she rode off, leaving him and Jorah behind.  “How long have you been in their service?”  Jorah asked once some distance had been put between them and Dany’s silver mare.

“Two years, almost three.”  Conner replied before letting his gaze fall on Jorah fully.  “It seems strange, seeing a Westerosi knight out this way.”

Jorah chuckled wryly but nodded.  “I imagine it is.  Lord Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, and I had a difference of opinion.  I caught some poachers on my land and when he heard I had sold the men to some slavers, he had an order sent to have me brought to Winterfell to await execution.  I fled, taking only my armor and a sword and little else.”

“Why?”  Conner asked.

Jorah needed no clarification as to what he was truly asking.  “Let us say people do foolish things in pursuit of love, or what I thought I had in this case.”  While it wasn’t the whole truth, Conner could tell it was still the truth as Jorah soon turned the conversation back to him.  “And what of you, how did you get to be in their service, and more importantly, why have you remained?”

Conner took a moment to gather his thoughts before letting his gaze fall on Dany’s back.  “I’m not from around here, but when I saw she was in trouble when kidnappers or assassins tried to take her, I didn’t stop to ask questions, I just acted.  It impressed Viserys, and I’ve been at their side since.”

“Few men are so noble as you make yourself out to be.”  Jorah replied, his tone sincere in the respect he had for Conner’s actions.  “But in your case I believe the tales I have heard of your deeds, few as they are Ser Kent.  That is why I am sure we will work well together, and why I would not dare press my luck against you.  It’s not everyday you hear someone capable of hitting a man so hard with their bare hands their heads fly from their shoulders.”

“Maybe, but I didn’t enjoy it.”  Conner replied and looked away, not liking those particular memories even if there had been a good reason for the deed in question.

“You don’t strike me as the type to enjoy the bloodshed others revel in.  Put a sword in a man’s hand, and something dark is able to come to the surface.  I’ve seen it enough times to know the truth of it.”  Jorah trailed off as he looked towards the horizon.  “But maybe the times will change.”

It was then Conner realized Jorah was looking towards Dany rather than the setting sun.  And he found he had to agree with the man’s line of thought.

 **End Notes:**   _It’s been too fucking long.  I do sincerely apologize for the delay, but as I said before, life and circumstance got in the way.  My dad was put in prison, Archer83 had to leave FF due to some pretty bad RL stuff, and things have just been rough in general.  But I never forgot this story, and with the release of Season 6 of GoT imminent, I decided to finally dust this off and get it going again._

_And yes, I included a bit of an AU Green Arrow in the form of Artemis and Oliver.  And no, Oliver is not going to be betraying anyone despite his rather abrupt appearance lol.  Beyond that, I can’t promise anything, so expect the unexpected.  Anyway, see ya folks, and it’s good to be back._

**Author's Note:**

> Vergil1989; Richard Grayson and Kaldur’ahm aren’t forgotten, they just haven’t made an appearance yet because the people they are with haven’t made an appearance just yet. ; D So that begs the question, are they in one of the other Kingdoms, or are they somewhere else entirely, such as the Brotherhood Without Banners? Only time shall tell in this new twist on a cult classic.
> 
> Archer83; You mean the acclaimed TV show? Right? Just kidding! I’d rather not face the wrath of everyone who loved the books. Although we will be making extensive changes. (Braces for the oncoming shit storm.)
> 
> Vergil1989; Well I’d rather not face everyone that loves either the books or the TV shows so we’re both hoping to survive the terrors of the night lol. (Braces for the Shadow ‘child’ that someone is bound to send after me for what I’m about to say.) In all seriousness, as you can see, everyone has changed to some degree. Tyrion is nicer, the Seven forbid, Eddard is a little more willing to smile, things like that. But while those changes haven’t been explained in detail just yet, they will be told through flashbacks in later chapters.
> 
> Also, as you can no doubt guess, there will be heavy canon-divergence before this is over as Archer hinted at already. For now, we’re more or less sticking to the script, but soon enough, the script is doomed to burn in a blaze of dragon fire. ;D Old alliances will crumble, as will old friendships and past loves, while new ones will be forged.
> 
> Archer 83; To sum it up; some will die, some will live, but it’ll be anything but predictable. Enjoy the ride!


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